A Place for My Heart
by Wendy Waddles
Summary: Severus has a chance encounter with a muggle woman from his childhood, who holds a long buried secret dealing with him. She becomes a rare friend to him, maybe someday more. If that happens, will he survive? Now Complete! Thank you for reading!
1. First Impressions, Again

**Story Disclaimer: **The rights to the Harry Potter World and all related characters belong to their wonderful and respective owner, and I'm not that person. But I am responsible for creating the world in which Caterina Clarkstone lives that somehow crosses over into the ever famous Wizarding World and I'd love to know what you think of it all.

**Author's Notes: **The story has be entirely re-betaed since the original posting, with final edits being completed in January of 2012. Hopefully now, most of the annoying typos are gone. There have also been just a few minor changes along the way, due to re-editing. Many huge thanks to Emily and Sallie for their wonderful assistance!

I've worked hard to weave this story closely in with canon where I could, all along the way, until you discover otherwise. And for much of the first half, little time is spent at Hogwarts as Caterina is indeed a muggle. It should prove to be very interesting, filled with much action, angst, and adventure, as well as having all of the drama that comes along with the building of a romantic relationship! I do tend to be detailed-oriented, so hopefully you enjoy several surprising twists and turns that have been planted along the way. Thank you kindly for taking the time to read! It has been a truly wonderful adventure writing _A Place for My Heart_.

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**Chapter 1**

**First Impressions, Again**

There was a light, a dull light, but nevertheless it _had_ been there. It'd been coming out of several of the dingy windows late last night. But now she wondered, had her eyes really only deceived her?

"No!" she told herself firmly, trying to force the confidence of what she had seen into a concrete belief of some form. The tiny house sitting down by the closed factory and dirty river were all in clear view from up atop the hill. She had definitely seen a light inside of it last night.

Long had she waited for a sign, any sign, to show someone was indeed occupying that shabby, rundown corner house again. Could it be true? Or had all the years of careful watching and waiting finally tricked her eyes into seeing what she had so often searched and hoped for? And now, after all those years of waiting, was she finally to embark upon the mission that had been so oddly entrusted to her alone? She had made a promise and refused to let down the one she made that promise to, though she never believed it would take so long to fulfill. Whatever it took to accomplish it, she was willing to do or, at least, she thought she was. With that thought in mind and a quick appraising look in the mirror, she grabbed the thick ivory envelope, laying ready on her bureau and headed out the door.

Soon she was paused, standing on the little stoop, with her hand hovering just inches away from a corroded metal doorknocker. Part of it had unhinged itself from the black weathered door. A sudden stab of queasiness shot through her body. It was mixed and met with a multitude of feelings. _Excitement. Anticipation. Trepidation. Fear_. Oh, the list could go on and on but she needed to focus.

"Pull it together, Cat," she chided herself under her breath. "You've been through much worse than something as simple as a supposed business call."

It was hard to stop her mind from flitting through questions though. What would he look like? Would he remember her at all? Would he even let her in? It had been almost twelve years since they'd last seen each other. Twelve years can do a lot to change a person. More importantly, would he still detest her as he had when they were children? Surely not, right? Those were childish ways and they should have all grown beyond that as they entered adulthood. Oh God, what if it wasn't he who was in the house, though? Where could she possibly look next to find him, as she was really tired of waiting for him to come back?

Raising a nervous hand to smooth out her dress, she could hear those biting words he had thrown out at her at their last sighting. They echoed around in her head as if it had been only yesterday, instead of years ago.

_"Go back to your fancy house on the hill you stupid, good-for-nothing, fluff-headed girl._" He'd spoken in a curt, icy tone, looking disgusted that she had dared to disturb him and his thoughts.

"_He's only ever given me grief. Oh why do I even bother about him anymore?_" she'd wondered at the time. "_And that's what I get for trying to be polite_."

She had simply inquired as to how he was doing in passing, as she hadn't seen him in awhile._ Fluff-headed_ had always his word for her. Rarely had he even addressed her by name growing up. Still, he had saved her life once and, for that, she would always be thankful to him, no matter how he might ever act toward her.

Caterina shook off the troublesome memories, took a deep breath and rapped the knocker with shaking hand. Then she waited.

Inside the house, moments before Caterina even rounded the corner to the weathered front door, the two occupants were in a heated conversation. Suddenly, the older gray-haired gentleman stopped short in his rebuff of the younger, dark-haired man's complaint.

"We're about to have company."

"What sort?" inquired the dark-haired man, narrowing his black eyes and scanning watchfully out the front window.

"Muggle," was the reply as the older man pulled out his wand. With a quick flourishing wave, the moving pictures came to a halt in their frames as several books flew back onto the shelves that lined most of the living room walls. The younger man swept up a pile of potions and vials, along with a thick black cauldron into his arms, and quickly disappeared down a back hall with them.

Caterina had only a moment to wait. As the door flew open wide, she was greeted by the most peculiar of sights. Standing before her was a very tall man, dressed in long flowing and silken aubergine robes. He had long gray hair, the longest Caterina had ever seen on a man of his age before. His gray beard was just as long and upon his nose were perched a pair of thin wire, half-moon spectacles. To many, he would be regarded as an extreme oddity by his attire, but somehow, to her, it seemed to fit him. He stared down at her intently while seeming to ponder something of great interest on her face.

A broad, grandfatherly smile suddenly broke out upon his lips and he nodded his head at her, speaking first. "And how might I help such a lovely a creature as you, my dear?"

"I was hoping to find Severus Snape. Is he, by chance, in at the moment?" Caterina's quiet voice wanted to betray her wavering confidence but she somehow kept it from faltering.

"He most certainly is in." With a slight bow and a wink the old man motioned for her to enter as he backed himself against the wall, allowing her to pass.

"Just down the hall and to your right. He'll be with you momentarily," answered the older man.

It took a few long moments for her eyes to adjust to the dark, dimly lit interior of the little house. From what she could tell, the place had not changed one bit from how she last remembered it years ago, although from the looks of it, the books might have been breeding amongst themselves. They were absolutely everywhere. There was still that ugly brown, threadbare carpet on the floor and the upholstery was certainly well past its prime. She was even willing to bet that the ugly mottled hallway wall pattern had passed its prime along with the dinosaur age.

"_Be nice, Cat_!" she thought to herself while forcing her lips into a pleasant and hopefully calm-looking smile.

From the hall came a slight creak of floorboards and into the room swept the man who had unknowingly been evading her keen watch for years. His dark, piercing eyes still held that same mysterious gaze that she spent many an hour trying to figure out as a child. And he still had the same shoulder-length shiny black hair, though now it finally looked combed. Growing up, he was the only boy that Caterina had ever known with long hair. Stifling a slight giggle, she remembered how she always longed to run her fingers through it or braid it when she was little, though she never dared. His face looked much more mature and astute now, suggesting to her that he had possibly given up his wild and rude childish ways. His nose was still a bit long but it looked like he had grown into it finally. In a way, Severus Snape was actually somewhat handsome, the kind of handsome that was an acquired taste with time though.

He stopped a few feet from her, arms folded while his dark probing eyes took her in but his face remained expressionless. He did not know her. She was finely dressed in the latest flattering muggle fashion and she carried herself well. Way too good to be in such a place as she presently was, yet she looked at ease with the meager surroundings. He quickly looked her up and down again, thinking she was definitely the most beautiful thing to ever step through the threshold of his house, he would give her that much, but what could she possibly want with _him_?

She smiled warmly up at him and with a laugh, broke the silence first. "My - did you ever get so tall! It's good to see you again, Severus."

He was just over six foot tall, easily a foot taller than her shorter stature and he was confused even more by her statement. Intensely Severus eyed her again, from head to toe. She was short but what she lacked in height she made up for by the comely curves of her figure. Her rich chestnut brown tresses hung in long, soft curls, well past her shoulders and framed her lovely milky white skin perfectly. The vivid turquoise shade of her eyes made him feel as though he were looking into deep pools of water. All in all, he hated to admit it to even himself, she was quite captivating to look upon.

But Severus was stumped. How utterly maddening to him! She seemed to know him and that put him at a sharp disadvantage. That was totally unacceptable by his standards - to be left at any disadvantage ever, no matter how slight it might be, muggle or not.

"Who are you?" came his blunt and to the point reply.

She gave a quiet chuckle before answering. "Of course I shouldn't have expected you to recognize me. It's been, well at least eleven or twelve years since we last saw each other. I think I was maybe fourteen. Allow me to help jog your memory. Once upon a time, I was that little, silly, _fluff-headed_ girl that you rescued from an icy stream." She raised an elegantly arched brow as she spoke the word ' fluff-headed' but the agreeable smile was still playing around her lips.

_Ahh. Caterina._ _Caterina Clarkstone_. He had not given her any thought - probably since the last time they had met. Though she was always a pretty thing, he had considered her to be nothing more than a bothersome, pesty and empty-headed muggle girl from the big mansion, up on the hill. _Fluff-headed_ was what he had coined for her when they were quite young. In addition, she was also a muggle. He grew up around many muggles and he had always tried to distance himself as much as he could from them, including his own muggle father. As a young boy he had taken great delight in teasing and tormenting Caterina especially. For some reason, she had always made for an easy target. Drew, her older brother, was one of the few muggles that Severus actual got along with and together they played a multitude of mean pranks on the little girl.

Severus' father had worked for Clarkstone and Company, a metal processing and fabrication factory of some sort, owned by Caterina's family. Part of the large factory even butted up to the side of his house. Well, technically speaking, it wasn't _his_ house. Charles Clarkstone, Caterina's father, had at one time been known far and wide for his generous treatment of employees. He bought up several streets of houses around the factory and rented them out to the families who worked for him for at a very low cost. Part of the company right by his house had been shut down for several years at least now, although Severus had never inquired of anyone just why. For all he knew or cared, the company may have just relocated most of its factories to a nicer and newer town. And for that, Severus wouldn't blame them.

The area in which his little rented house stood was getting more run down by the day. Still, as always, though, along? the road leading up the hill and out towards? the east side of town, one could see the real estate and the aesthetics increased in value greatly. The crowning jewel, at the very top of the hill over looking the whole of Mill Town, was the impressive Clarkstone Mansion. He could easily see it through the side window of his kitchen.

So that's what prompted this unexplained visit, he mused to himself. Caterina was here to finally collect on his comeuppance and cast him out of this house on Spinner's End. No wonder she was smiling so warmly and acting as if she was genuinely happy to see him. After all the torment he'd inflicted upon her in their youth, she must have begged her father for this chance to come and be the one to throw him out of this house. He always knew in the back of his mind that this day would come. However, he had expected it to have appeared at least eight years before now, following the death of his mother. Severus' father had passed away first, but Charles Clarkstone allowed them to go on living there for some reason. With both of his parents gone and Severus of age, there really was no reason Clarkstone would want to continue to rent the house so cheaply to a non-employee. But he never inquired about it and just remained living there on borrowed time, during his summers away from Hogwarts.

It would not be quick, nor easy to remove all of the house's magical defenses that he'd added over the years. And for a moment, he was struck with the idea of possibly concealing the house completely from muggles' eyes and memories. But for a task that large, he would need Dumbledore's help at performing the tedious and complex set of spells which it would require. Was he willing to ask such a thing of the Headmaster? No, he was not. Damn. He would have to concede to this fluff-headed muggle with little protest. Truth be told, he really should have seen this coming but he knew the fault was all his, due the fact he had been neglecting his muggle mail for most of the past year. It had been a trying time at Hogwarts, with the start of that brat of a Potter boy, along with protecting the Philosopher's Stone from falling into the wrong hands.

During the last few moments, he felt an angry storm brewing within him, that had started the moment he found himself at the disadvantage. He'd certainly have a hard time finding another place so out of the way and hidden as this house was. Severus was more than willing and quite capable of paying more in rent but that wasn't the point. Now this only added to his dismal outlook on everything about his life in general. He refrained from outright snarling at the woman standing before him, but only because he remembered Dumbledore was nearby. Or he had been. Where had he gone off to now, Severus wondered.

Through taut lips, he spoke rather snippety. "How _long_?"

"Excuse me?" Caterina asked.

As she studied his angered face, Caterina was close to losing all of the forced confidence she had managed earlier. It appeared Severus really hadn't changed much at all. She thought she knew exactly what he was referring to, but talk about getting straight to the point. Caterina should have known not to expect the general pleasantries that people normally exchange after so long an absence, even if it is nothing but fake banter most times. Severus must have received the notices after all. Though in all seriousness, it was his own fault and yet, he stood glaring at her as if all fault rested on her. Well, she should have guessed that if he hadn't changed, Severus would twist all the blame around to her eventually as well. He'd always been cunning like that.

When Severus and her brother, Drew, got into any trouble, he invariably blamed her for tattling, though she never did. When he threw her new mittens out onto an iced-over stream and she fell through, trying to go after them at the age of six, he somehow managed to save her all by himself but all the while berated her for being such a stupid and annoying little girl. When she simply smiled in his general direction, he would pick something about her to criticize. The rare times when he seemed the least bit amiable toward her was only if no other soul was around.

Caterina would not break this time, however. He would not get the better of her. She would hold fast to fulfilling her promise, no matter how he treated her because she was not going to let his words hurt her anymore. Long ago she had promised herself that his words would never dissolve her into those burning tears again. He would just have to grow up, get over himself and find someone else to depreciate and belittle.

Letting out an impatient sigh, he gritted his teeth and hissed, "How_ long_ until I must be_ out_?"

With his dark eyes wide, he stared her down, hoping to break her easy gaze. And as soon as she finally looked down, he silently reveled to himself in his small victory. But when he realized she was just reaching into the brown leather handbag hanging on her shoulder, his victory was short lived. She swiftly pulled out a thick ivory-colored envelope and handed it over to him.

"Here is a current and corrected copy of the rental agreement with all relevant details," she said in a quiet tone, raising her deep blue eyes to meet his dark gaze anew, while still holding that same gentle smile on her lips.

Again Severus tried to keep his temper in check but he couldn't refrain from snatching it so roughly out of her slender white hand. He opened it promptly for reading.

"But," she continued, "it basically states that the past notices you received were all in error. It was an oversight at the company's main office. I was recently made aware of it and I wanted to make sure it was corrected immediately. That's why I'm here. I apologize for any inconvenience those prior notices might have caused you, if you did indeed receive them."

Severus slowly raised his eyes from the papers, while trying not to portray the disbelief he felt on his face. His eyes had just confirmed what she had stated. The extreme anger within him was slowly cooling to a dull roar, though he knew he truly had no right to be angry, least not with her. He was at a loss for words and he did not like this feeling either, for he prided himself on his quick wit and sharp responses.

Caterina made a gracefully sweeping gesture around the room, continuing on in his silence "And the rental agreement will continue to stay the same for as long as you desire to reside here. There are several pages that you will need to read through, sign and return. Mainly, it's just name changes from your parents to yours as that was never done when it should have been," she finished softly.

Caterina realized she'd been holding her breath as she spoke to him and fought to breathe normally again without outright gasping.

He gave a succinct nod in her direction while his black eyes again scanned the papers. There was a slight cough behind Caterina that almost made her jump before she realized it was the older gentleman coming back into the room.

"There's no major rush on them but if you could possibly return them within the next two weeks that would be wonderful. You can mail them back or drop them by the main office if you happen to pass by it." She paused and then added, "Or if it would be easier, I could even stop by in a few days?"

The older man suddenly clapped his hands together, causing both Caterina and Severus to startle slightly. "Oh that would be delightful if you stopped by again, wouldn't it Severus? And I am very sorry my dear, but I did not catch your name as I stepped out for a moment."

Severus looked like anything but delighted. His eyes were all but glaring the old man down. Caterina simply smiled and turned toward the gray-haired man as he extended his long hand to her. She shook it smoothly, looking quite amused by him.

"I'm Caterina Clarkstone. Pleased to meet you Mr...?"

"Ahhha. Caterina Clarkstone. It is an absolute pleasure to meet you. Forgive me for failing to introduce myself earlier on the stoop. I'm Albus. Albus Dumbledore. But call me whatever you like, dear lady. Am I to assume that you are part of the Clarkstone and Company family, as well as the landlady?"

Caterina nodded, a broad smile now on her lips. "Yes, Charles Clarkstone was my father. He actually passed away several years ago but I now help manage and oversee a small portion that is left of the company. Most of it was sold off or relocated overseas but we retained one division here. And well, yes, I guess you could say that does sort of make me the landlady, by default."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear about your father." And with that, Dumbledore continued to prattle on with the young woman before him.

Severus was once again stunned to learn this new information but his face remained neutral. What was going on with the house then? Was she keeping up the agreement under her father's direct wishes or was it something she chose to do on her own? Both ideas were more than puzzling to him, because he knew there had always been some sort of ongoing dispute between his own wretched father and Caterina's father growing up, though he never paid much attention to what it had been about. And his previous treatment of Caterina would surely never warrant such an act of benevolence from her.

As she and Dumbledore continued in small talk, Severus studied her face and watched her carefully. He always felt himself an excellent judge of character but could he have been in error over her? No, he didn't think so. He did not make those kind of mistakes. Yet, it was true he had judged her while he was quite young himself. Thinking back now, why had he accepted her brother Drew as a companion at times while rejecting her completely?

A thought struck him - Susannah Clarkstone. He remembered hearing how the beautiful Mrs. Clarkstone was nothing but a fashionable socialite who had nothing better to do than gossip and dote on her children and most especially on Caterina. To many, Mrs. Clarkstone came across as being prone to fits of drama while yet seeming a properly delicate and fragile lady of high society. She was charitable but really it only ever seemed that superficial kind of charity. The few times Severus remembered meeting her, she appeared to look down her nose at anyone who didn't fit into her high society way of life. He believed her to be a silly, stupid and air-assuming woman. In short, a good-for-nothing fluff-head, like he'd labeled Caterina.

So, _there_ seemed to be his possible error. He had attributed all of Caterina's mother's lowly qualities back onto Caterina herself without ever realizing there was the possibility that she could be something more than that. He wasn't ready to entirely recast his vote on Caterina, though; she would have to prove herself not to be a silly fluff-head. Time would tell, but he really didn't have too much time to bother with her, though Severus had the strong suspicion that something deeper was going on here, besides the rental agreement of the house and he was curious to discover what it could possibly be.

"Severus? Severus?" called the older gentleman.

He turned his head from watching Caterina to stare at Dumbledore, who was now eyeing him keenly. "We were just discussing what day next week would be most convenient for Ms. Clarkstone to return and collect the paperwork she needs?"

"I can mail it just fine," he retorted almost under his breath.

"Come Severus, now it's not very often that we have such lovely a guest visit. How about Friday, say two o'clock teatime, my dear? Severus, that should give you more than enough time to peruse the documents."

What the hell was Dumbledore thinking? _We_? This was _his_ house.

Caterina glanced back and forth between the two men, not sure what to say. It seemed as if they were having a sort of silent conversation between themselves while she watched. Severus' lips curved downward ever so slightly but he finally nodded.

"Yes, Friday at two. Is that agreeable to you, Caterina?"

Hearing Severus speak her actual name finally after all these years was quite surprising and somehow pleasing to her.

Caterina turned her head up to look directly at Severus, "Why yes that sounds fine. Next Friday at two then."

They locked eyes for a long moment, as if they were both trying to read what the other was truly thinking. Caterina, with her deep blue eyes shimmering, smiled up at him in the most genuine of fashions. Its intensity seemed to shake Severus to his very core because, in it, he saw no malice. It appeared that she truly beared him no ill-will, regardless of his years of verbal belittling. How could that be? He intended to find out but he would not let down his guard by any means.

Finally, Caterina looked down once more and, reaching into the bag she was carrying, she pulled out a little white card in her small hand. She offered it to Severus. This time he retrieved it much more gently and, as he did, his hand brushed against her soft fingertips. Severus' eyes flicked back to hers to watch her reaction. He found her still smiling and not at all repulsed by his rough touch.

"_Interesting..._" he thought to himself.

"Here's my card if something happens to come up and you need to contact me. Thank you kindly for your time today." Still smiling, she turned and stepped toward Dumbledore. "It was lovely to meet you, Mr. Dumbledore."

He guided her toward the front door."Likewise my dear, likewise."

She stopped and turned back again for a moment before stepping out onto the stoop. Caterina was surprised to find Severus following only a few steps behind her.

Caterina gave him one last charming smile. "It was really good to see you again, Severus. I look forward to catching up with you. It's been so very long."

He took another long look into her blue eyes against his better judgement. "Yes, it has been. Until next Friday, then." And with that, his lips gave her an ever so slight but rare smile that almost reached his eyes.

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A/N: Thanks again for stepping into the long and winding road that is Caterina and Severus' story. I hope you enjoy all that is to come for them! And please, take a moment to comment and review every so often, I greatly appreciate the feedback as I've put a lot of time and effort into sharing this story with everyone. :)

~Wendy Waddles


	2. Musings and Memories

**Chapter 2**

**Musings and Memories**

Once outside, with the door shut behind her, Caterina had to muster together all her strength to keep her legs from giving way and collapsing right out from under her. Her hands were shaking violently from all the pent up stress of the meeting. How had she managed to keep herself so poised in front of Severus Snape just now?

It was stupid of her to have not considered just how this meeting might have unfolded in advance. She arrived there with no expectations whatsoever other than in delivering those papers. What had she gotten herself into now? That man just might make her reconsider breaking her promise! If not, it was going to be much harder than she ever dreamed to accomplish her task. How on earth would she ever manage to get through a second meeting with him? He seemed almost as horrid toward her now as he did when they were younger, only he put forth a bit more effort to keep himself in check. And she wondered if it had only been because of that Dumbledore fellow - he sure seemed like an interesting and quirky character. Yet in an odd way, she felt that same strange, drawing sensation to get inside Severus' head and figure him out as when she was younger.

She quickly rounded the corner, heading toward the sleek black car waiting a few hundred yards away. Jamison had already spotted her and stepped out to open her door.

"Well?" he queried.

"It went well. I told you I would be fine by myself," Caterina answered.

Jamison scrunched up his face which told her he was only in semi-agreement.

"I figured you probably would be but I still don't like the idea of you being anywhere in this part of town fully unescorted. Not _ever, _with after what happened..." His voice drifted off as he unconsciously ruffed a hand through his peppered brown hair.

At that, Caterina closed her eyes, sighed and ran a delicate finger between her now knotted brow. "That was years ago. Besides, I was only inside the house for a few minutes with you waiting out here the whole time. Nothing could've happened to me. Besides, you know you'll never be able to protect me from everything that comes along."

She sighed again and silently added to herself, "_And if you had any idea of the sort of people I was just with you'd lock me away in a room halfway around the world, with the windows boarded shut. And that's just for starters..._"

"Yea, that's what you'd like to believe, Cat, but we both know better. I still don't like this. Not one bit. I wish you'd fill me in on the finer details of what this so-called 'secret' is you've promised to fulfill-"

He stopped short when she turned and gave him an exasperated look.

"You know that I can't do that. I made a promise that I intend to keep and the details are of a highly private matter. We've been through this before, Jamison."

"Please," she pleaded as she climbed into the backseat, with him following, "just let this one go."

Jamison looked away, shaking his head. Caterina knew what he was thinking. That he knew better than to even try to make her see his reasoning on the matter yet he would never let it drop completely. He would let her cool and bring it up another day. They had this very discussion more times than they both could count and although she felt bad about it, he would always have to remain in the dark. She couldn't divulge a word about it to anyone. _Ever_.

She had openly acknowledged that it wasn't fair to him by any means, especially not after everything Jamison had done for her. He'd been there to help pick up the broken pieces and to provide for her in any way that he could. He made sure to see she was happy and well cared for. Most importantly, he made sure that against everything else she remained safe. He had been like a rock that kept her grounded and stable all through the hellish parts of the past few years and he tried desperately to guide her toward the happier horizons. It was just unfortunate that there certainly had been plenty more of the hellish parts instead of the happy parts.

Sighing again, she sat back against the plush black leather, tilting her forehead against the cool, dark glass of the car window. Blankly staring off in the distance, the familiar scenery passed by her unseeing eyes.

* * *

Severus slammed down the packet of papers he'd been fiercely gripping on the shabby kitchen table.

"Seriously, Dumbledore! Would you please explain why you felt so inclined to invite that Muggle woman back into my home?"

"I thought the fact was just reiterated, reminding you that this is indeed not your home? And if you would truly like to keep living in it, you might just show a little... oh, how shall I put it? A little more civility and courtesy, perhaps?"

Dumbledore peered over his wire spectacles, eyes twinkling and merry. "Besides, even you would have to agree, Severus, she is quite an alluring young woman, is she not?"

Severus made no comment but Dumbledore's acute eyes easily read past the inscrutable mask his young friend wore, as they so often did. "All I can say, is that there are times we must look beyond ourselves and form certain allies and allegiances in places we might not normally look."

Severus gave a loud, impertinent snort. "You believe I should try and befriend a Muggle? Whatever for? Are you completely out of your mind?"

"Only some of the time, and never completely, Severus," responded Dumbledore.

Not only was the idea completely laughable to him, it was preposterous to think that this woman or any woman for that matter would take an interest in him, friendly or otherwise. He himself, had no reason, need, or want for a friend. Most of his life, he spent going out of his way to avoid making many friends and he'd gotten by this far.

Severus' back stiffened. "What of the Statute of Secrecy?"

"Most times, it serves its purpose most adequately, the Statute of Secrecy. However, there are times its rules might need a light touch of adjustment or rebending in the ever so slightest of ways."

Dumbledore turned to examine a bit of dust atop the kitchen doorframe before continuing. "I would also confess a rather suspicious hunch that Ms. Clarkstone will prove a somewhat vital role for the future. Need I admonish you of how my hunches often come to fruition?"

Severus winced at this reminder while his mind propelled an image of a young, attractive redheaded girl at him.

"I won't order you to befriend her, but I highly recommend a touch of cooperation mixed with a pinch of acceptance. If friendship flows out from that, so be it. Well Severus, this has been a most enlightening visit. I eagerly anticipate my next." Dumbledore gave a tiny nod in Severus' direction then Disapparated.

Severus groaned a heavy sigh, settling into the shabby wing chair by the fireplace. He pursed two fingers on each hand and rubbed his temples, head bent in a contemplative manner. Much as he hated to admit it, Dumbledore's hunches were usually dead on. The thought of taking on this newest nuisance, would be nothing but sheer irritation to him. Plus, how would he even go about befriending a Muggle woman? The probability of its successfulness, minute. He knew how Caterina had been raised by her mother - give charitably but always avoid contact with the lowly, poor, filthy scum of the earth. People like - himself.

* * *

The shiny, black car maneuvered into the long drive toward the brown brick mansion and stopped in front of the large, columned-lined porch. Jamison stepped out, offering his hand to help her.

"What time would you like dinner?" inquired Jamison.

"Is my mother home yet?"

"I believe she scheduled an additional three days to her trip, making her return sometime late Friday eve, perhaps."

"Then I don't really care when dinner is ready. You know that." Caterina smirked and rolled her eyes. "And where is she again this week?"

"At some Bali luxury spa resort in Jimbaran Bay, Denpasar, Indonesia." He pushed open the large oak front door.

"That's certainly a mouthful of a name," Caterina mused.

"You know your mother."

Yes, she did know her mother, all too well. The woman was a mess. She couldn't deal with the simplest problems without a headache to accompany it and a Valium to remedy it. Her most recent remedy to life's problems was gallivanting around the world to an exotic luxury spa every other week. At least she didn't drink. That would probably push Cat over the edge herself. Her mother hadn't always been quite so bad but she never had a head for dealing with the most common of predicaments that arose in life. She always deferred to her level-headed husband to keep her blissfully unaware, which he did frequently. Caterina knew her parents had loved each other deeply, yet she often wondered what had drawn them together, each so different as they were. Once when she was younger, Caterina asked her mother this very thing.

"Oh Kitty-darling, love can do amazing things you know. It can draw the two most opposite people together on the planet for a lifetime. Just like your father and I."

Somehow, Caterina doubted there was much truth to be found in that statement, though at times when she caught the sadness in her mother's eyes, she wondered. But what she absolutely deplored was the nickname, Kitty-darling. It was bad enough when her brother Drew shortened her name to Cat; she learned to live with that nickname, and even somewhat liked it. Kitty-darling - now _that_ she utterly detested. It was worse than 'fluff-headed'. As it so happened, it was only her mother's special name for her though, thankfully.

Cat paused halfway up the grand staircase. "Just let me know when Cook has dinner ready. I'll be in the office."

Stopping in her spacious bedroom first, she kicked the brown slingback sandals from her feet and undid the knot of her wrap dress. The silky beryl blue and coppery patterned material slid silently to the floor, while a comfy pair of jeans and a cream colored long sleeve T-shirt quickly replaced it. Soon after, she sat curled up in the brown leather armchair, closest to the massive stone fireplace housed in the office.

This was one of her favorite rooms in the whole house. It had been her father's office when he was alive. Fondly, she thought back on how he often allowed her to help him decorate it with her artwork and creative pursuits as a child. She'd spent hours curled up by that very fire growing up, reading books or doing homework just to be in the same room with him. Even now that he was gone, the room seemed to be filled with his essence. Caterina retreated here regularly when in need of comfort, solace and inspiration.

It was mid-June and, though it was by no means cold out, the gas flames were lit like always. Caterina gazed at the lazy flickering flames, musing over the past few years of her life. When she was barely sixteen, her life took a dramatic turn from the plan her mother had laid out for her with a serious downturn in her beloved father's health. It started when the family company had come under serious investigation because of several suspicious money dealings. This, in turn, led to the discovery of an awful plot to extort money from Clarkstone & Company, put together by three of its longtime, trusted employees. The betrayal of trust alone nearly destroyed her father, and the stress of which consequently broke his health. It took a year to get that mess cleaned up, the proper people charged and arrested.

The plan for Caterina's life started the moment she was born. Susannah Clarkstone made it her mission to see her beautiful daughter as a world famous ballerina. She spent fortunes on private trainers and personal tutors for Caterina. Caterina had the best at everything and was classically trained in ballet in the Cecchetti method with influences of the Vaganova method. She was schooled thoroughly in proper etiquette and social graces, along with years of classical voice and dancing lessons. Caterina excelled at it all but her heart was never completely given over to it like her mother's was, but she kept her objections to herself. Or at least until Caterina, at the age of fifteen, was given what most would call a major breakthrough role in a production by The Royal Ballet, one of the foremost ballet companies in the world.

It was then that one of Caterina's ballet instructors felt ever so gracious enough to point out the fact that if Caterina wanted to achieve the highest possible fame in the ballet world, something would need to be done about her blossoming breasts. Her mother was told that her darling daughter was starting to look way too top heavy for her shorter figure and that people want to see a sweet, graceful prima ballerina at the ballet, not a short, sassy pole dancer.

Her mother nearly lit into hysterics as she promptly sought out a top plastic surgeon who specialized in beast reductions for teenagers. That was when Caterina finally lost her cool, threatening to hang up her ballet slippers for good. It would not have bothered Cat to do so in the least as it was never her own personal dreams she strived so hard to fulfill. They were her mother's dreams.

In the end her ballet performance with The Royal Ballet in London brought her fabulous recognition and a frenzy of media attention. Just what her mother had always craved for, but it was short lived. During the last few weeks of the ballet's run, Drew was in a serious car accident. The prognosis was not good. Cat dropped out and spent all her time at the hospital, looking after her big brother.

Growing up, Drew was lucky enough to have escaped most of their mother's doting as he was being groomed to take over the family business. But he grew more stubborn and headstrong with age and by sixteen, he had had enough and embarked on a myriad of wild intrigues. He left boarding school before they could kick him out and started partying incessantly. Their mother always felt faintish and had to lie down when the latest word about "Drew and his crazy shenanigans..." arrived at the Clarkstone home.

She would call Cat into her sitting room where she made her promise not to dare follow in her brother's footsteps. "Drew is just sowing his wild oats before settling down to take a mature and active role in the family business..."

Cat knew her mother explained this more for her own personal benefit than for Cat's but Cat would always pacify her mother with, "Of course I won't, Mum."

Her mother would respond by patting her hand weakly. "Now that's a good little Kitty-darling..."

Caterina always cringed when she heard that horrid, horrid nickname...

Drew didn't calm down and by eighteen he'd been in and out of rehab for drug and alcohol abuse. By now their father had enough and Charles Clarkstone planned an intervention for his eldest child. He cut his work load in half at Clarkstone & Company and left most of the company's operations in the hands of his closest friend and right-hand man, Jamison Lahey.

The intervention wasn't going well at first until Caterina got an ingenious idea of her own on how to help. One afternoon, while Drew and her father were busy, she sneaked into Drew's room. He arrived a few hours later to find her camped out on his bed with an ashtray stuffed full of cigarette butts, several empty packs strewn across the floor and two empty beer cans in her hands.

She looked up rather sheepishly, while batting her lashes. "You know the beer kinda sucks. I don't like the taste much. The cigs aren't half bad, but I'm not quite sure I understand the appeal yet, so can I try a joint please, big bro?"

While they hadn't always been the closest of siblings, the thought of little Cat picking up his habits, sent him into a frenzy. No way was his lil' sis going to turn out like him and he finally got serious about cleaning up his act.

Drew made a dramatic turn around in less than a year's time. He cleaned up his act and was turning into a responsible young adult when the car accident happened. One evening while heading home from the Clarkstone company office in his favorite little sports car, a truck driver, who had fallen asleep at the wheel, almost crushed him to death. Everything possible was done to try and save him but after almost three weeks of intense fighting, Drew slipped away.

Caterina was pulled out of her reverie as a single tear dripped from her chin onto the leather. She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand and closed her eyes, remembering her last conversation with Drew in the hospital. She had stayed in his hospital room almost the entire time. The evening before he died, he seemed so alert finally. He patted the hospital bed for Cat to come sit by him.

She took his broken hand gently in hers and gingerly sat on the bed's edge. He watched her with half-closed eyes. She could see him fighting the pain within his broken body.

"Promise me something Cat," he whispered in a hoarse voice.

"Anything Drew."

"Promise me that you won't become a world famous ballerina."

"Why?" Caterina asked him, looking confused.

"Because it's not who you are and your heart has never been in it. It's always been Mum's fantasy, not yours, Cat. Don't get me wrong, you're really fabulous at it, but I know it's not your dream, is it?"

Caterina looked down at their entwined hands. "Truthfully, no it's not."

He was silent for a few minutes. "What's your dream Cat?"

"You know, I've actually been thinking about that. A lot in fact. Especially recently. I really don't know what my dream is but I want to be useful somehow... in some sort of way... but I just don't know in what... or how."

"Cat, you've got a heart of gold, and an amazing personality combined with a pretty sensible head on your shoulders. Look how you helped me. I know you're going to do something extraordinary someday. It might not be primetime news worthy, but it'll happen. You've always had a way to look past the rotten spots in people and still love them."

Caterina fought to keep her voice steady. "You're my big brother, you're supposed to say things like that."

"I may be the one saying it but you're the one that's going to live it someday." His eyes widened as he grimaced in pain. His breathing became labored.

"I'll call for the nurse."

"No... no... don't. It'll pass... in a moment," he said in a raspy voice.

"Drew-" she started to argue.

"Cat... you've got to promise... me one... more thing."

"Yes, Drew?"

"Promise me... you won't spend... your whole life... worrying about everyone else and trying to make them happy, like mum." Drew panted against the pain before continuing on. "I want you to be happy... in your own heart... take care of yourself as well... not just everyone else."

"I'll see what I can do."

"You... better..."

"Now you have to promise me something," Caterina whispered.

"Anything... for my... favorite lil' sis."

"Promise me you'll keep fighting and not give in."

"I'll... see... what... can do."

His eyes closed completely. Cat turned her head to watch the rain fall against the hospital window and race her own tears down her cheeks. Drew remained quiet after that and by the next morning, he was gone.

It was a terrible blow to the Clarkstones but slowly they managed through it until less than a year later, another tragedy happened upon the family. Two more employees, ones that had slipped through the cracks the first time, plotted a new way to extort money. The one and only sure fire way they knew to get paid - kidnap Caterina. She was eighteen, the only child left to the Clarkstone legacy so the family was sure to pay handsomely for her return.

Her body gave an involuntary shudder as several horrendous memories of that time came flooding back to Caterina. They didn't seem to come much more evil than the men who had taken her. The horrific kidnapping experience lasted almost three days and those three days had seemed like a lifetime to Cat. Even now, as the details of how she was rescued remained cloudy, the face of her savior was forever etched in her mind. But the fact that she had indeed been rescued was what her parents cared about more than anything else.

She spent several months in and out of the hospital, recovering from the many injuries inflicted upon her and the multiple surgeries that had been required to deal with them. No one believed Cat when she told them about a woman had saved her. They believed that the kidnappers had left her body outside of the burning building before fleeing. And while Caterina's family never came right out and said she must have imagined someone else, Cat knew they silently thought it.

Caterina made a wonderful recovery and was almost back to being as active as she was before the attack. She started ballet again, though this time it was strictly in private, as a form of therapy and not at all on any stage. Caterina found she quite enjoyed it now as a way to stay in shape and keep her mind focused. It also greatly helped that the pressures of her mother's outlandish fantasy was over and done with. She was proud of the way her mother had handled herself through these tragic events. Her mother was still prone to the fainting fits and occasional hysterics but she was really turning a corner.

Then the final blow struck. Charles Clarkstone, the beloved husband and father, suffered a fatal heart attack. Caterina felt lost for a long time as everything had fallen upon her shoulders. She tried to pick up the shattered pieces and put something back together as best she could for her mother and herself. That's when Jamison, her father's most trusted friend, stepped in. He did everything he could for them and soon Jamison became like a second father to Cat.

"Lost in thought again, I see," called a voice, pulling Caterina back to the present.

Caterina almost jumped out of her skin upon hearing it and, looked toward the door, she found Jamison, curiously eyeing her.

"Sorry to have scared you, Cat. I knocked, twice in fact. Thought maybe you'd fallen asleep."

"That's ok. Yeah, I guess I was pretty deeply lost in my thoughts," Caterina sighed with a small smile.

"You get all the world's problems solved?" Jamison chuckled.

Cat grinned. "I wish! But I can't even fix my own at the moment, so... the world's out of luck for now."

Before Jamison could start, Cat held up her hand to stop him. "I know, I know. Jamison, I really truly appreciate all that you do for us... for me, especially. You go above and beyond. But this is something I've got to do myself and I would really like for you to respect that. If I thought there would be danger involved, I would let you know but it's not that kind of a problem. And I promise you it's nothing illegal nor will it cost buckets of money," she finished with a grin. "Now let's go see what Cook's made for dinner."

Later that night, Caterina lay in her bed, tossing and turning, and wondered how her next visit to the shabby little corner house on Spinner's End would proceed. Cat tried to quell the nervousness building in her stomach but it grew, as did the anticipation. She felt a slight comfort in the thought of Mr. Dumbledore being there. At least he was easy to talk with and quite pleasant. The same could definitely not be said of Severus Snape.

* * *

A/N: Now we know a little bit more about Caterina's less than perfect life... let's continue on find out what Severus is thinking. ;)


	3. Thoughts Will Wander

**Chapter 3**

**Thoughts Will Wander**

Caterina's eyes flew open. It was early. She sat straight up in her bed, heart pounding. Looking toward the open window, she could see the first few streaks of golden morning sunlight stretching out across the front lawn. Friday had arrived. Today was to be her next meeting with Severus - that was, if he kept it. She'd expected a call each day since her first visit, telling her not to trouble her little fluff-headed self because he had mailed the documents instead. Or he might just open the door upon her arrival, thrust the papers into her hands and tell her to be off with herself. And so, the anxious feelings did nothing but grow steadily for the next week. There had been no call, but there was still time for it to happen within the next few hours.

She busied herself in trying to relax her apprehensive doubts. After a long jog, followed by a leisurely swim in the pool, she felt the feelings start to diminish ever so slightly. Oh, what would she do to get through the last few hours? It was only now ten o'clock in the morning. She groaned and decided upon an extra long and extra hot shower. That usually calmed her greatly.

Not that it would make a difference or matter, but she'd been mentally sifting through her most flattering outfits. Severus probably wouldn't care or even take notice if she showed up in a clown suit. Oddly enough, she found herself half wishing he would at least notice she was indeed pretty and perhaps not so fluff-headed anymore. Most men she encountered found her quite beautiful and intelligent, and though many tried to pursue her, usually most never interested her. She was still waiting for the right one to come along. He didn't have to "sweep her off her feet" but she would know him when she found him.

Since she certainly hadn't informed Jamison of her second meeting, he'd not mentioned anything more after she asked him to respect her wishes on the matter. She'd also been successful in convincing him to schedule a long weekend full of tee times at his favourite golf resort to help ensure he stayed in the dark. Jamison rarely said no to any golf related suggestions. Cat smiled to herself.

The one last thing to do was to talk to Russell, the older gentleman who had been the main family chauffeur for as long as Cat could remember. He did not ask questions, pry or repeat the family's activities like the younger, newer chauffeur they also employed. She would have driven herself as she was confident in her own safety, but she thought it best not to take any unnecessary chances.

After Cat informed Russell of her day's schedule, and grabbed some lunch, she headed to browse around her closet. Her thoughts were on a rack holding a favorite assortment of little black dresses. She tried to imagine what Severus might say of them? as she examined each. Cat kind of pegged him as the almost prudish type. There were no real claims to back that up against, just a gut feeling.

"Hmm... that one would probably say 'hussy' to him, 'cause of its length - or lack thereof. This one, I'd go with brazen, since it's got no back. And well, yeah, he might think that one would be slutty, 'cause of how far the front dips down. That one, trampy, as it hugs everything a little too tightly..."

Finally, she settled upon one that she thought said 'subtle yet striking'. She kept her makeup very simple and natural looking, while working to lightly accentuate her deep blue eyes. Her long chestnut hair, she let hang loose around her shoulders and down her back in their usual soft curls. Digging in her mass of shoes, she selected a pair of simple, black, flat slip-ons. She decided against any bracelets or rings and went with a simple matching set of blue topaz studs and pendant necklace that matched her eyes perfectly. The final touch: a small and classy black clutch purse. Standing before her closet's large full wall mirror, she was very pleased with her results.

Several minutes 'til two, Caterina found herself rounding the corner to Spinner's End and soon standing atop the stoop of the shabby house once again. She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply to steady herself, then reached for the knocker.

* * *

Severus had spent most of the morning sitting in his living room awaiting Caterina's arrival and deliberating over the added task of how to become better acquainted with her. Even growing up, Severus didn't make many friends. He'd always been a shy and awkward child, owing partly to the fact he knew he would grow up to be a wizard and most of all his possible companions were muggles, those who could know nothing of the secret, Wizarding World that existed. Why waste time interacting and forming friendships with those who you could never reveal your true self to? So he spent much of his childhood pent up with books of magic for his best friends instead of real people.

His mother had been a witch but his father was a muggle and it had made for a hard life. Though his father had a well-paying job with Clarkstone, they had little to show for it. His father lived under the belief that his witch of a wife should be able to provide the basic necessities of life by using her magic instead of money. He frequently indulged in things for himself, hardly ever on his wife and never on Severus, his son. His most common indulgence was alcohol, leading to a terribly fierce temper when he got drunk. Usually he stayed away from Severus but he fought horribly with his wife. He never even took interest in Severus when he was sober; it was almost like he deemed him a useless but ongoing burden.

To this very day, he never understood why his mother didn't curse the man into oblivion and get the hell out of that awful life. But she refused to leave her lousy husband and the one time Severus dared suggest it, she punished him quite harshly. Afterwards, she took him in her arms and it was one of the few times he remembered that she spoke quite tenderly and lovingly to him. He never forgot what she told him that day. Many times, throughout the years he'd pondered her words, yet still they made no sense to him:

"There are many mysterious life-lessons you'll have to wait until you've grown to fully understand. I'm sorry life has been like this for you - it's never what I would have chosen for you, my dear son, but I've entered down a path I now cannot falter from. To leave it would bring utter destruction and ruin to everything. And I can't have that for us both. Me, yes, but you never! I love you, dear Severus, and I want you to always remember that, no matter what happens."

For years, his mother had been the only female influence in his life until he met Lily. Lovely, sweet Lily Evans. Lily had been the only girl that ever could cause him to lose his focus at times. She had been one of his few friends and the only girl he'd ever truly cared about. Lily had grown up not too far from Severus. They met as children at the small nature park and playground situated on the east side of town. It was just off the main road that led up to the fine, large houses such as Clarkstone Mansion that lined the hill overlooking the river. The park was a very popular place where all the rich children mingled with the less fortunate from the other side of town.

When he first met her, he knew immediately she was different from all the other muggle children. She was like him, able to perform magic, since it did happen occasionally, that two muggles would produce a magical child. She did not understand her special abilities at first and Severus, who was often weary of most muggle children, sought to befriend her, seeing that they had much in common. They spent hours together as he told her all about magic and the secret Wizarding World.

He and Lily remained friends for several years as they both attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was the only friend he had there for a long while. But as everyone at Hogwarts seemed to establish their closest friendships with others in their own respective Houses, that soon changed. He and Lily were not in the same House; they were in rival Houses, in fact. None of their House friends approved of their ongoing friendship. By age fifteen, they were starting to drift apart and their friendship was forever severed by a few derogatory words Severus had spoken to her in a fit of anger. He tried to apologize but it was too late and he lost his closest and only childhood friend. They both moved on, in very separate ways. After school was finished, Lily married James Potter and Severus was never able to renew any sort of friendship with her. It deeply grieved him for a very long time.

After that, Severus stuck exclusively to his Slytherin House crowd, while entering down a darker path of magic, even for the magical world. He'd always been fascinated by the powerful side of the Dark Arts and by the time he left Hogwarts, he continued seeking to immerse himself in it. He did so by following a so-called group of friends that claimed to know the proper path to finding the ultimate power. It was to be achieved by devoting one's life to following and supporting the Dark Wizard Voldemort. Voldemort's ideals held to the belief that the Wizarding World was growing weak due to the thinning of pure-blood magical families through the acceptance of mixed muggle and half-blood wizards and witches. The Death Eaters, those loyal to Voldemort, would be greatly rewarded when he took control of the Wizarding World.

Becoming a Death Eater himself, was the single most miscalculated mistake of Severus' entire life. Voldemort killed all those who dared oppose him, along with many innocents. His old, sweet friend, Lily had been among those killed by Voldemort. Severus blamed solely himself for her death, due to information from a prophecy that he had passed. Prior to Lily and James' deaths, he had switched sides, becoming a spy deep within Voldemort's rank, all the while aiding and answering to Dumbledore. After their deaths, Severus vowed to help guard the child Lily and her husband had died protecting, out of a strong sense of duty and honor.

This past year, Lily's son, Harry, started attending Hogwarts School where Severus taught and it had been a rough one. Already they had been threatened with Voldemort attempting to come back to try to claim Harry's young life. That could never be allowed, as Harry himself was part of the key to destroying Voldemort forever.

* * *

A short while before Caterina's arrival, Dumbledore had also entered the little house. He found Severus sitting by the empty fireplace in his very contemplative state. Dumbledore eyed him intently.

"Are you well, Severus? You're looking a bit pale today. Not nervous are you?"

Severus bit back a snarl and reproachful glare, replying only with a simple enough sounding, "Fine."

Dumbledore then turned his attention upon surveying the house. It was by no means immaculate but it was looking quite tidy compared to his last visit. He even spied several 'sprucing up' charms here and there. The dust and cobwebs gone, the windows cleaner and most of the un-shelved books had been returned to their homes. It wasn't nearly as dim, dreary or dusty as before. The living room could almost pass as cozy, at least for someone as seemingly stoic as Severus Snape. He gave himself an amused glance in the mirror that hung over the mantle.

"Well I shall set about preparing the tea. I do hope she is prompt. Some women enjoy arriving at what they consider as a fashionably late time to enhance their entrance. However, I don't believe Ms. Clarkstone is of that philosophy." With that said, he left his apparently brooding friend, stepped into the kitchen and conjured up a shiny silver tea service, fully loaded and ready for use.

Severus' eyes shifted to the little clock on the mantle. Almost two o'clock. Would she be on time? He had been quite rude to her last week and he wouldn't be surprised if she didn't show at all. There was the possibility that she might just send someone else to fetch the signed papers.

Truth be told, he'd spent the past week and a half speculating as to why this particular girl was suddenly intruding upon his thoughts. And it was becoming increasingly frequent over the past few days, culminating in her invading his dreams last night. She was lost in a dense black fog, screaming for help but he couldn't find her through it, causing him to wake in a panic over her safety. It had been maddening to him for his mind to linger on her and yet he found himself in actual anticipation of seeing her again.

He'd never been one to dwell on idle thoughts such as the distracting ways of women. There were none that interested him and he didn't expect there ever would be one to take any interest in him. On rare occasions, he'd entertained a thought or two about what might have happened between him and Lily, had things gone differently during their schooling. No, she wasn't meant for him though. No one would ever be meant for someone such as _him_.

He knew he was a hard and irritating man to deal with and he prided himself of his keen focus and unwavering diligence to his life's work. It was an extremely dangerous mission he'd vowed to devote himself to - helping to oversee the complete and final destruction of one of the most terrible and evil Dark Wizards ever to walk the face of the earth. The Dark Wizard that he had at one time followed. It would take years to accomplish the task while also protecting Harry, but if he was successful, many lives could be saved both in the Wizarding and Muggle Worlds alike. He didn't have time to be frivolous with anyone, friends or women included. He was meant to be alone, which was well enough because chances were high he himself would die during the course of his mission. It was not something he felt sad about, just a cold hard fact of his life. And the fact that Caterina was starting to pique his curiosity did not settle well with him.

The sudden sound of the knocker startled Severus completely out of his thoughts. As he strode to answer the door, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mantle mirror and gave himself a hopeless shake of his head.

"And it's just as well," he dejectedly muttered to himself.

* * *

A/N: Severus is pretty harsh on himself, isn't he? What's going to happen when Caterina shows up? Will he be any nicer this time or will it go worse for them? Thank you kindly for continuing to read. ;)


	4. Can't Take My Eyes Off You

**Chapter 4**

**Can't Take My Eyes Off You **

Upon opening the door, the sight that rewarded Severus' dark eyes was that of Caterina's sweet smiling face, peering up at his. Seeing her standing there before him, in full daylight, also verified that fact that he in no way misinterpreted her full beauty during their last visit, in the dim light of his house.

Severus didn't speak immediately, as his eyes were quickly surveying her from head to toe. She wore a very simple, yet figure-flattening black dress. Made of a light flowing material, it stopped just above her knees. It had slightly ruffed cap sleeves and in the front, the fabric crisscrossed, forming a slightly suggestive V neckline, revealing the smooth skin of her neck and collarbone. It was fitted around her waist and from there, hung freely. Her long thick curls hung free, flowing over her shoulders and down almost to her elbows. Several stray curls were twirling lightly around her face and brushing against her neck in the gentle breeze. Her legs were bare and on her feet were a pair of open, flat, black shoes. The small jewels she wore matched the intense blue of her eyes. His black eyes came back to her face to meet those intensely blue eyes.

She smiled softly. "Good afternoon, Severus."

"Yes, good afternoon."

Severus stepped back, holding the door open all the way and made a short sweeping gesture for her to enter. As she passed by him, he inhaled a tiny hint of amber mixed with another scent, something which he couldn't quite pick out.

Entering the living room, her sharp eyes also noted several of the improvements that Dumbledore had picked up on. And there was Mr. Dumbledore himself, wearing robes similar to how she had last seen him, only this time they were of a rich midnight blue color and they had a slight shimmer to them as he moved. He seemed to be positively beaming at Caterina as he reached out to grip her small hand in his.

"It's delightfully wonderful to see you again, Caterina, my dear. Now, I know you came for the paperwork, but I do hope you have a moment or two, to spare for some tea?"

Should she? Her eyes quickly roamed to seek out Severus' face. It was surprisingly free from any looks of sheer distaste or anger over her presence. In fact he almost looked pleased to see her. Maybe the little black dress she had selected was working its charms after all, she mused to herself. She would risk it and stay for tea.

"That sounds lovely and it's so nice to see you again as well."

"Excellent. I shall go prepare it." Dumbledore's blue eye's sparkled.

Severus raised a sharp questioning eyebrow at him but out of Caterina's view. Dumbledore only responded with a slight tilt of his head toward her and a look that clearly read, '_T__alk to her!_' When Severus turned to face her again, he found she was now perusing the books lining the wall behind her.

"You have quite a collection. They all look so old."

"Yes, most of them are quite old," Severus answered.

"Do you read them or do you just collect them?"

Sevreus' black eyes carefully studied her. "I've actually read most of them."

Caterina reached a slender white hand up to a book and ran her index finger along its spine as she seemingly read the title to herself. Most of the titles on the shelf she was examining were in Latin, thank goodness. Then her hand moved to the next book and so on. Severus moved in close behind her, wand hiding behind his back. He hoped she didn't actually decide to remove any from the shelves but if she did, he'd need to be prepared to instantly counter the magical enchantments that many of the books carried within them.

Some of them burned the hands that held them, once opened; several of them would float up toward the ceiling, just out of arms' reach and a quite a few bellowed and screamed menacingly when handled. Those were only minor jinxes. Thankfully, all of the most powerfully enchanted books that could really harm her were on the top shelves, completely out of reach from her short frame.

Standing in such close proximity to her caused a curious upheaval to his senses. She really was quite lovely in all her features. He again recognized the amber smell, along with a touch of something almost sweet-like, and he realized it was emanating from her. It had to be perfume. And whatever kind it was, he found that he rather liked the scent. His eyes took in her long dark curls which looked amazingly soft and held hints of golden auburn within them. He fought the urge to examine one of them with his fingers to find out.

Suddenly, without warning, Caterina spun gracefully around to face him. There was less than two feet of space between them and there he was, towering over her. If she was alarmed over this fact, she hid it well, as her smile never faltered from her full lips.

"You're a teacher?" she guessed, intently looking up into his face.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

"Well there are a lot of people who collect books just to have them," Caterina started. "But those who usually take the time to read them as well are generally trying to further educate themselves... and well, I just kind of thought it went hand in hand somehow, that people like that often enjoy passing that information along to others in some way and in turn become teachers of some fashion."

"Interesting deduction. Actually yes, I am."

He could not hide the slim smile that found its way to his own lips now. She was much more perceptive it seemed, than he'd ever thought to give her credit for. Though she was wrong on one point, it wasn't something he did because he enjoyed it, though it brought him a certain amount of satisfaction. It was done more out of duty.

"What do you teach?"

In truth, being the Potions Master at Hogwarts, he just couldn't give that as his answer. His mind raced to find the closest muggle equivalent name to what he actually did.

"Ah, Chemistry."

Caterina chuckled and wrinkled up her nose in the tiniest fashion. "Sorry, not my best subject in school."

"That's what I find of many of my own students," he said with a light smirk.

"I suspect that it's not any school around here or we'd have probably run into each other long before now." Caterina offered.

"No. It's a private and quite exclusive school that prefers to stay unknown to most of the public for various reasons."

"I see."

Caterina wondered if this was his way of politely telling her that she was asking too many questions. She looked searchingly into his eyes but surprisingly found no trace of annoyance. Since he was being almost one hundred times more agreeable toward her today, she thought it best not to push her luck any further and tried to think of what new subject they could possibly move onto.

Severus looked as if he were about to inquire something of her but he never got the chance.

"Tea is ready," Dumbledore called out jovially.

Together, they both turned toward him. He was carrying a heavily laden silver tea service which he placed carefully upon the wooden oval coffee table.

"Please, make yourself comfortable." Dumbledore gestured toward the small couch behind them, then he himself took the armchair by the fireplace and starting pouring tea.

Severus waited like a true gentleman, allowing her to seat herself first, though she perched quite near the edge of the couch, not sitting fully back. Was she trying to distance herself from him as much as possible? He quickly eyed the other armchair across the room but decided that would be overly rude. So he sat, mindful not to jostle her as he did. There was little distance between them again.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Caterina make a slight movement. Was she moving to the other armchair? He turned to watch her, only to find she was placing her small black purse on top of the pile of books beside the couch. It was then that he also realized just how short she was. She couldn't sit back much further on the couch without her feet hovering off the floor like a child's. This caused a slight smile to form on his lips again.

Dumbledore, still looking delighted, had just finished filling three teacups and spoke first to Caterina.

"Milk and sugar?"

"Yes, please."

"One or two lumps?"

"Three actually, thank you."

"Most certainly. And here you are, my dear."

Dumbledore rose slightly and handed her a dainty teacup and saucer with a silver spoon. The set was pure white with silver edges.

"Thank you." Caterina smile warmly.

Severus watched discreetly as she deftly lifted the spoon and softly began to fold the hot tea back and forth in the cup. Then she removed the spoon and placed it along the right side of the saucer.

"Severus, milk and sugar?" Dumbledore inquired.

"No milk, one cube," he replied.

Dumbledore passed another teacup and saucer to Severus and set about preparing his own.

Caterina took a sip. "It's delicious. What blend is it?"

"Heavens, to tell the truth I'm not totally sure of the blend. It's a special one that our school chef makes just for me. I think they happened upon it quite by accident. I've never actually inquired as to what exactly went in it. I just know I enjoy it and I'm glad you do as well."

"Would that be the same school as Severus'?" Caterina chanced to guess.

"Oh, he mentioned Hogwarts to you, did he? Why, yes, it would be, and I'm the Headmaster. It's nothing too fabulous, just a place where we work with those who are especially gifted and talented in certain disciplines. Anyway, you won't find us listed in any finishing school books. We work hard to keep ourselves off the map, so to speak. It's very exclusive with ultra high qualifications being needed to warrant an invite."

Caterina appeared slightly surprised at the information. "I see."

Severus wondered if she was suddenly picturing a school filled with only the snobbiest of snobs. He turned slightly to see her reaction to this but whatever her face might have betrayed to him was adeptly masked by a sip of tea on her part. What surprised him most, though, was that Dumbledore had actually given her the Wizarding School's real name.

Dumbledore then reached inside his outer robe's pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a rather aged-looking muggle newspaper, all folded up. "And speaking of the especially gifted and talented, after our visit last week, your name struck me as oddly familiar. So I went digging in my archives to found out why. I must confess to being a bit of a horrid pack rat - I keep almost everything."

Caterina apparently seemed to know exactly what information the paper held pertaining to her, for she raised her hand to cover her mouth in shock.

She shook her head and gasped softly. "Oh no. You didn't."

He carefully unfolded the old newspaper for all to see. It was a copy of London's The Daily Telegraph, and the large, bolded front page title read: _**Youngest Ballerina Brings Down the House with Stunning **__**Performances**_. Under that were several large, full-color photos of a somewhat younger looking Caterina in various ballet poses. The main photo, titled '_Grand Battement_' showed her attired in a stunning blue ballet outfit, standing straight, raised on just the toes of one foot, with her other leg going straight up past her head.

Severus couldn't help but raise an eyebrow - she was a ballet dancer? Seriously? That had to be about as silly and fluff-headed as one could get, right? But as he surveyed all the photos, he was actually in awe at the positions she held in each. Caterina looked amazingly flexible and yet graceful in each pose. He'd never realized muggle people could bend in such ways normally and not damage themselves, at least not without the aid of magic. Of course, he had most certainly never attended a ballet before, to know.

Severus glanced from the paper back to Caterina, who was now blushing with a nervous looking smile on her lips. If he was reading her correctly, she was embarrassed. He didn't know what to say but he felt a strange urge to soothe her feelings. While he was deciding on something appropriate, Dumbledore beat him to it.

"No need to be embarrassed, dear! You appear to have an amazing talent. Do you still perform regularly? I would love to attend if you did."

Her usual sweet smile came back but there was a sadness in her eyes. "No, I don't. In fact that play was my last."

Albus nodded. "That's a shame. Would it be too much of me to inquire as to why?"

"Well, near the end of performance's run, my brother Drew was in a serious car accident." Caterina paused as her voice broke slightly and she seemed to struggle a moment to keep her composure.

Severus noticed her deep blue eyes were starting to glisten with the threat of tears. Should he offer her his handkerchief?

"I quit the ballet and spent all the time that he had left, with him, in the hospital. He died a few weeks later and I well, I retired my tutu after that. Ballet was always more of my mother's dream for me, never mine." Caterina explained quietly.

"I'm sorry to have dragged up such painful memories for you, my dear. Please accept my deepest apologies and sympathies," Dumbledore offered kindly.

Severus just stared profoundly at her, utterly lost for words but wanting in some small way to convey his sympathies as well. He had no idea about the passing of both her father and brother. They had always been a close-knit family. It would have been a terrible shock for her to endure the loss of them.

"Thank you, but it's fine, really." Caterina took a deep breath. "You didn't know. And I'm used to it. I get asked about it quite often. Most people want to know if I can still hold my poses as strongly and if I'll ever go back on stage. I actually practice quite frequently still, but only as a way to keep myself in shape and I find it helps me to de-stress. I promise you if I ever do take to the stage again, you'll be among the first to know, although it would probably be in theater or voice before ballet."

Dumbledore smiled gratefully. "Yes, please do that. Would you like to keep the paper?"

"Oh no. You keep it. I'm sure my mother has about fifty copies still stashed around the house." Caterina blushed.

Severus continued to examine her pretty face. She paused a moment, as if deciding on what she would say next, while looking between Dumbledore and himself. Her eyes seemed to lock into his for a few brief moments of deep searching. He kept his face relaxed and his gaze easy. What was she hoping to find?

"Actually, if you're at all interested there's a children's benefit event next month that I'm helping to organize," Caterina began. "It's going to feature several ballerinas from the same dance company as well as a variety of other entertainments. I'd be happy to give you several tickets."

"Really? That sounds wonderful," came Dumbledore's reply. His face held a brief puzzled expression before he inquired, "It's not by chance the yearly Chances for Children benefit that's held in London every summer? I've attended in years past and it's a lovely event. Tickets are so very hard to come by though."

"Yes. That's the one, actually."

"You help organize it?"

"Actually, I founded the charity not long after Drew's death, in his memory."

Dumbledore looked impressed. "Is that so? I had no idea! Well, if you have a few spare tickets, I know we'd love to attend, right Severus?"

At that, Severus' enraged mind split into two separate, and yet complete thoughts: "_Hell, here we go again. Why does he keep doing this_?" along with "_Damn it! I'll go but only if I can see her again_!"

* * *

A/N: Chapter title is from the song stuck in my head while writing this entire chapter - _Can't Take My Eyes Off You_, covered by Muse. ;)

Hmmm... who would have guessed a ballerina would possibly catch the formidable Potion's Master's eye? If you have a moment, I'd love to know what you think of the story so far, anything that you'd like to share! Thanks for the many kind reviews that have been left already!


	5. Caught

**Chapter 5**

**Caught**

Later that night, as Caterina got ready for bed, she reflected on the day's events. The second visit was unbelievably smoother than the first. That Mr. Dumbledore seemed like such a sweet, charming old man and Severus, well Severus finally acted the most civil - almost even kind - he'd ever been to her. He portrayed the perfect gentleman today. Maybe completing her task would not be so hard after all. After the first meeting, it had appeared impossible. Still, she wondered how long it would take to complete it fully, as she had promised she would.

If Severus stayed in this current demeanor, it would make things easier. He might even grow on her. Perhaps, they could yet become friends, after all these years. In a lot of ways, he seemed like someone who didn't let many people become close to him, though. Or was that how she was remembering him as a child?

Caterina pondered over him for a long time. He was certainly very intelligent, that much was evident. And he was one of the first men in a long time to fully draw her interest and curiosity. While he wasn't extremely handsome, there was something very pleasing that she found in his face. He carried himself well and she liked how he dressed. Simple, in a slightly old-fashioned and refined style and mostly in black. The black went well with his black hair and dark eyes. And as always, he had that mysterious, puzzling quality to him that she wanted to unravel. Something was different about him, for sure. She'd felt that about him when they were children and it hadn't changed. What would come of their next meeting and when would that be? She found herself, almost eager, looking forward to seeing him again.

Once ready for bed, Caterina sat at the little old-fashioned writing desk in her bedroom. She opened the left side drawer of the desk, and rummaging around, her hands came upon a little black jewelry box. Caterina cradled it lovingly in her hands and slowly removed the top. Inside, resting on a piece of red velvet, lay an old golden and oval-shaped locket. The years it had seen had not been kind to it. There were several small dents on the locket's front and the clasp was now broken, so it could no longer be opened. Its gold chain appeared tarnished in places, possibly from wear. That didn't matter; she gently lifted it and held it in the palm of her hand, staring down at it for several minutes. Caterina tightened her fist around it, brought it up close to her heart and closed her eyes. One tiny tear escaped down her cheek.

* * *

Severus caught himself pacing again, around his living room, as he'd been doing for several days now. It started soon after Caterina's second visit, last week. He felt infuriated with himself, because the harder he tried to push her from his thoughts, the deeper she seemed to take root in them. What did he find so intriguing about her? Was it just her pretty face and graceful manner? Most women he'd met like that were often shallow and overbearing as soon as you got to know them. What was she really like, underneath the veil of beauty surrounding her? Severus had no time or use for anyone like that if she was, no matter what kind of hunch Dumbledore might have.

He wondered what he'd gotten himself into by agreeing to befriend her. Yes, they'd known each other from childhood but never had they been remotely close to being friends. They came from opposite worlds, with nothing in common. And his treatment of her as a child - detestable; he acknowledged that now. Due to his pure dislike of her along with the simple fact she was a muggle, he'd almost caused her to drown once with his cruel and dangerous pranks. Thankfully, all his early magical studying paid off and he'd saved her. It was all his fault, and what did she do when he pulled her out of the icy water? She cried and thanked him repeatedly for saving her as if she had been the one to get herself into the mess in the first place.

Well, he'd be seeing her soon enough and he hoped to get a better grasp on her true self. Somehow Dumbledore had managed to convince Caterina that she'd already run around too much at their expense. She need not drop off the benefit tickets, as Severus would be more than willing to go retrieve them himself. And, in a way, he was. Hopefully, he'd learn more about her real nature when she was in the comfort of her own home and surroundings.

Now he just needed to decide upon the time he would go. Not wanting to appear eager, he certainly would wait - a week, maybe almost two. Caterina only requested the tickets be picked up by July seventeenth. God, what he going to do with himself in that time? He tried to concentrate on revising and enhancing his potions lessons. But after so many years of teaching the same lessons over and over, he'd just about perfected them. And just recently, he'd procured several rare, magical books to enhance his collection but they didn't seem to hold his interest either. Time appeared to be crawling by.

* * *

Severus arrived at Clarkstone Mansion, promptly at nine in the morning of the sixteenth. Looking around the massive porch, he began to wonder if nine was too early. What if she liked to sleep late? He came close to turning around to leave but he couldn't. He wanted to see her. The bell rang loud and clear. Severus had never actually been inside the Clarkstone house before. Mrs. Clarkstone's charity seemed to end where her front door began. Her children were permitted to play with the poor town children at the park; they just couldn't bring them home.

An anxious thought struck him: what if Caterina left the tickets in the hands of the staff and he didn't get to see her? His mind flew through possible excuses to... "_Stop it_!" his anxious mind called out at him.

He waited but a moment for the door to open and was greeted by a plump and kind-looking older woman. She smiled pleasantly at him.

"Good morning, sir. How may I help you?"

"I'm here to see Ms. Clarkstone, Caterina that is."

"Oh right! And would you be, Mr. Snape? She mentioned you would be stopping by."

Severus nodded. "That is correct."

"Come right on in dearie. Hmmm... let me see, where might she be..." Stepping back, she allowed him to enter.

The housekeeper then glanced at her watch. "Oh right! In the studio of course. She usually works out in there, almost every morning from eight to ten-ish."

Severus took in the beauty of the interior, while the lady rambled on. Clarkstone Mansion was impressive to say the least. Very elegantly decorated, classy, yet it still had a feel of welcoming and warmth to it. In his life, he'd only ever been in one other house close to this grandeur before - Malfoy Manor - but it was nowhere near as exquisite, nor did it feel at all welcoming. So this was how she grew up.

"Follow me, please, Mr. Snape. I'll take you to the back hall. That's where the studio is."

They passed by a huge, curved grand staircase, which apparently lead to a large rectangular balcony area upstairs where one could survey the entire entrance. The floors were of a wonderful white marble with bits of black woven in at places. The furnishings were lavish yet tasteful. In the center of the high ceiling hung a stunning crystal chandelier, at least eight feet in length. The housekeeper entered a long plush hallway, leading through what had to be the center of the house. At the end, she stopped and pointed left.

"Go on down that way, toward the end and it's the last door on the right. It's got a little window - you'll be able to see her. Just go right on in, it's ok. She won't be able to hear you knock with the music on."

And with that the old lady nodded a smile at him, turned on her heel and went back the way they had just come.

Severus noticed his pulse quickened, in anticipation of seeing her. He swiftly headed to the last door on the right and stopped to peek in the window. The studio was rather large, much of its walls lined with mirrors, with a floor of light wood. A long, waist-height handle bar appeared to be built into one of the mirror-lined walls.

Then he caught sight of her. She was dressed in black again, wearing one of those tight suits he figured most ballerinas wore. It was slightly off the shoulders, dipped down in the front and a sheer, thin, black skirt attached around the waist. Her legs were bare and on her feet were black slippers that laced around her ankles.

Caterina was fluttering and twirling from one end of the studio to the other. He watched, his hand poised on the door handle, but too mesmerized at the sight of her, to open it. She was so graceful and fluid in her moments. He'd never seen anything like it before, at least not in the Wizarding World. The way she leapt, bent and twisted, so elegantly and easily, amazed him.

As he stood there entranced, he realized something looked different about her. It was her hair. Instead of being loose and hanging in its long curls, it was pulled up high and piled around the top of her head. Little, soft curls hung down delicately around her sweet face. She was breathtaking. He watched for close to ten minutes, before coming back to his full senses.

Finally, he turned the handle and pushed on the door slowly, hoping not to startle her. He walked several feet in, thinking she might see him. The room was filled with music and Caterina appeared to be in her own world, dancing along with it. He didn't want to interrupt her or scare her, but he wasn't quite sure how to best get her attention. Finally, the song seemed to be ending, so he decided to wait until it stopped, to announce his presence.

As the last few bars of music played, Caterina lit into an un-ending spin, heading straight toward him. She definitely had not seen him. He threw out his hands and caught her around the waist, softening the blow as she slammed against him. She gasped, putting out her small hands to brace herself against his chest. Then just like that, they both froze, eyes locking together for several long moments.

Caterina tossed back her head and laughed, still trying to catch her breath. "So sorry about that. Guess I didn't judge that last set of spins too well."

"No, I would say not."

"Well, thanks for stopping me before the wall did. You were much gentler than it would have been on me."

"Certainly." Severus gave a gentlemanly nod while a small grin played around his lips.

She smiled back up at him cheerfully, her hands still splayed against his chest. His own hands did not want to release her waist as he found he rather enjoyed the way she felt in them. He figured it best that he did so, regardless - and quickly. But all he could do was to stare down upon her, standing there so close. He could feel the warmth of her body radiating out to his own. His eyes were suddenly drawn toward the wide and inviting neckline of her dance outfit. It scooped rather low in the front, revealing a generous amount of cleavage. Her skin looked so firm and smooth and..._"Look away_!" his mind shouted, but his eyes refused to obey.

With forced effort, he brought his dark eyes back up to meet her turquoise ones. And the amused smile he caught on her lips told him, she knew just what he'd been looking at.

Slowly, her hands slid down and gently away from his chest, as he obligingly released her from his grasp. His hands almost tingled, with the warmth of her body still on them. She stepped back slightly, giving him a small curtsey, the smile still playing on her lips. After several deep breaths, her breathing calmed and returned to normal.

Suddenly, she squinted her eyes and gave him a thoughtful look. Was she now going to rebuke him for his less then gentlemanly behavior? He fully deserved it, if she did, he told himself.

"You've never been in the house before have you?" Caterina asked.

Severus stared at her for a moment. "What? Oh no, I guess I haven't."

She gave a little snort. "That would have been because of dear mum's rules. Anyway, if you have a few moments, I'd love to give you the grand tour. Well, if you'd like to see it, that is..."

She eyed him, waiting for an answer.

"Actually, I have several other appointments to keep after this."

Severus was indeed eager to spend more time in her presence, and happy for an excuse to stay but he had to get out of there now, before he did anything else that would be highly regrettable. He felt relieved that she took the awkward ogling on his part so well, but he was unwilling to forgive himself for the lapse in judgement.

Caterina blinked. "Oh. Of course. Well if you'll follow me, we'll go get those tickets and you can be on your way."

His eyes watched a bit of a forced smile now from her. And did he detect a note of disappointment in her voice? Caterina led him back, along the way he'd come earlier but when they reached the grand staircase, she turned to ascend them. He paused, unsure if he was to follow her still. She stopped and turned, no longer hearing his footsteps.

"They're in the office, at the top of the stairs," she said, as if answering his unvoiced question.

He proceeded to follow her. She moved silently due to her slippers. Her feet were still very graceful to watch, even climbing steps. His eyes began to wander up the backs of her silky looking legs. It was apparent, she kept herself very well-toned and fit. Then his eyes wandered higher and stopped on the ample curves and contours of her well-formed posterior as at bounced slightly with her steps. His mind's eye raced around to her front... "_Oh God! Stop it! Look away for Merlin's sake_!" his mind now screamed. Leaving promptly was no longer an option but a necessity.

The stairs soon gave way to the top landing and straight ahead, just as she promised, were the double-doors leading into an attractive and spacious office, complete with a massive stone-walled fireplace.

Caterina swiftly opened a small drawer on the large mahogany desk and pulled out an ivory envelope. "And here we are. Mr. Dumbledore didn't mention if he needed one, but I also included a parking pass. Finding a spot in London can be quite atrocious, you know, especially over the weekends if you don't take the tube."

He nodded and accepted the envelope from her outstretched hand. Careful as he was, his fingertips still brushed along hers. In doing so, it was like a fire started on his hand and quickly stretched out, engulfing his entire body in flames. Again, she didn't seem startled by his touch but she just stood there smiling pleasantly up at him.

He forced a weak smile, trying desperately not to look anywhere but her eyes. "Thank you. Now, as I said, I must be off to another appointment."

Caterina nodded politely and smiled. "Oh yes, I'll see you to the door."

Going back down the stairs equalled pure and total agony for him. He did not want to follow her, and it would be rude and impolite to rush ahead of her, so he chose to walk beside her, eyes fixed straight ahead on his exit.

Caterina opened the front door, giving him one of her wonderfully gorgeous smiles as she reached over, and gently touched his arm. "Thanks, Severus, for stopping by to get these. I look forward to seeing you at the benefit next weekend."

"Yes, indeed. Well, good day to you." He nodded again and this time, at least his smile wasn't forced.

He hurried out toward the service drive and once he was around the corner, hidden from view by the cover of tall shrubs, he apparated directly to his next appointment. Back in his house, on Spinner's End, he flew up the steps to meet with a very cold shower. And as he threw the water on full force, slowly he realized something; that she hadn't seemed at all bothered by his lingering hands around her waist. Severus took a deep breath, wondering. Hmmm...

* * *

A/N: Well, wasn't that an interesting encounter for them both, leading Severus to need a serious "cool down" at the end! The song I imagine Caterina dancing to when Severus walks into the studio is _Lost_ by Anouk. Hope you enjoyed! ;)


	6. Making Decisions

**Chapter 6**

**Making Decisions**

Caterina spent the last week of July in London, working like a mad woman on final prep for the children's charity benefit concert. Her parents had long kept a flat there and it was just easier to stay in the city with all the running, although her mind kept roaming back to home and to Severus. She found him becoming lodged in her thoughts, more each day, since their last encounter.

Thinking about that last encounter brought a wry smile to her lips. If Caterina were prone to sass, she would've spoken what was on the tip of her tongue, instead of biting it back when she saw Severus' eyes roaming down her chest that day in the studio.

"_Go ahead, check'em out! That's right. I'm all grown up! What do you think of me now?" _She giggled over that thought.

What in heaven's name would he have said to that? Cat could only imagine! It would've been a befitting dig at him, after all the years of his torment and berating. But instead she had just smiled up at him, like her usual, sweet self. Oh how she wished she could crawl inside his head to find out what made him tick. What did he think of her? At some moments, he seemed perfectly amicable toward her, and at others, he appeared desperate to be rid of her presence and the latter, being exactly how he'd acted when he'd stopped by for the tickets. She'd hoped he might stay for a little while and that way, she could talk to him alone and gauge how he reacted to her. Nice as Mr. Dumbledore was, Cat wondered if Severus showed more tolerance of her only because of being with his headmaster. She was also beginning to suspect Severus dreaded the idea of coming to the benefit. He might even change his mind all together and not show. Cat tried to shake that thought. Severus truly was an enigma to her and she was becoming determined to figure him out.

Soon, she had more pressing worries. Alex Danson, the dashing young tenor who was to MC the benefit, decided he would throw Cat a last minute ultimatum. He would happily perform the final act of the night, but only if she agreed to sing a duet with him. She'd collaborated with him once before, for a few songs on one of his CD releases but she'd never done anything live. The thought almost terrified her. Cat preferred to stay quiet and behind the scenes since the day she quit performing ballet.

In a way though, Alex's offer was tempting and with his magnetic personality, he was a hard person to say no to. He'd chosen a beautiful song, very fitting to close the evening with and one they had sung together before. She didn't relish the idea of performing for anyone but maybe the surprise of it would quell all the ballet inquires for a while. Oh, what to do?

* * *

Severus, trying desperately to throw Caterina from his mind, launched himself into rare potions' research. There had to be something, anything, to distract him. It worked but only for a few hours at a time and there was nothing that could drive her from his dreams at night, short of taking a dangerous but small dose of the Draught of the Living Death potion. So, she appeared, nightly. Last night's dream had been the most disturbing by far.

In it, he'd found Caterina in the dance studio, wearing a long, black gown. Oh, she was beautiful! She held out her small hand, and he took it in his own. It felt wonderful to hold in his grasp, so soft and warm. She led him to the center of the studio and smiled sweetly up at him for several minutes. He was about to take her into his arms when suddenly the lights went dim. An eerie, haunting music started to play. Caterina dropped his hand and started to dance to the music. He then noticed her feet were bare.

She moved so elegantly with the music that it made his heart ache, in deep longing to hold her. But the music changed abruptly, becoming thunderous and erratic. She started to circle him, finger pointing to his face, with a wicked, hateful smile now on hers. And as she threw back her head, shrieking and laughing at him, all the mirrors around the room shattered, with all the glass shards flying straight toward him. He woke, drenched in sweat.

He must focus - he could not, would not, feel that way about her. He barely knew her and she would never, _never_ look upon him in such a manner. No way in hell. And, if she knew, if she really knew what he was, the kind of things he'd done in his past, she'd waste not a single second more on him, ever. Severus had to regain control, immediately.

He spent hours pondering his options and the best solution he could come up with was to remove all but the essential memories and thoughts of her and store them outside of his mind. It was not an option he found agreeable though. And after much consideration, he decided it best to focus on regaining control over his mind by any other means. He _would _gain control. The removal of memories remained an option, but only as a crucial, last resort.

* * *

After much debate, Caterina made her decision. She would perform the duet with Alex. Her main driving force was that it would get her mother to attend. She knew her mother was extremely proud of the charity and the work it had done through the years but she never attended any of the benefits. Mother never said why, but Caterina suspected that the thought of the charity being in Drew's memory its self, was just too overwhelming for her. She wanted her mother to see past that and acknowledge all the good it had done for others and maybe in some small way, it could help her mother in her healing process.

The two days leading up to the evening's concert were nothing but a whirlwind. She even had Jamison running crazy, fetching things, coordinating people, arranging schedules and what not. All her spare time was thrown into practicing with Alex and, after performing several trial runs in the concert hall, her apprehension was replaced with anticipation. They did sound quite stunning together, though she had no desire to make a career change over it.

One change she needed, however, was in her wardrobe - being on stage now, required a dress that was so much more than what she'd originally planned to wear. The first gown was quite elegant but it just wouldn't do. It needed to be more bold, gorgeous, flirty and even, possibly, on the provocative side. Remarkably, Caterina found just what she wanted through a very painless and quick search. And the dress shop designers were more than willing to adjust the dress to fit her shorter frame perfectly, at such late notice.

"Wow," was all she could manage about herself, as she tried on the final product. It was sure to turn a few heads. She smiled to herself and with a devilish giggle, and she wondered what one certain stuffy-headed Severus might think.

"Ha! That's a good word for him! If I'm the fluff-headed one, he's definitely the stuffy-headed one!" Caterina grinned and muttered under her breath.

* * *

Dumbledore and Severus apparated within a few blocks of the concert hall and wove themselves into the apparent crowd, also headed for the same destination. Severus had never been to the concert hall before but it was obvious Dumbledore knew his way around it. A thought struck him.

"Headmaster, have you really been to this benefit in the past?"

"Yes." Dumbledore grinned broadly. "And I can tell that surprises you?"

"While I know you have a certain affinity for particular Muggle ways, I am surprised you attend such functions on a seemingly regular basis." Severus raised a questioning brow. "Did I not hear you discussing a recent Muggle opera you were at, with Madam Pomfrey?"

Dumbledore nodded as they entered the building. "You might be surprised to learn there are those amoung our kind who find a good number of Muggle arts to be very fulfilling. Music, especially, transcends many of the barriers in both the Wizarding and Muggle Worlds. It can transform almost any hardened soul that takes the time to listen to it and let it inside. Look, why over there, is that Madam Bones with a relative or two? Oh yes, it is. And there is the formidable Mrs. Longbottom with her young grandson. Splendid..."

Dumbledore gave a wave and a generous grin to them as Severus drew a wide distasteful frown at the thought of being seen there by a student. But Neville was much too unaware to notice his Potions Professor, due to his grandmother's incessant chattering about what he should and should not be doing during the evening's performance.

They soon made their way to their seats, which were quite close the impressive stage and only twelve rows back from the orchestra pit. As they sat in silence, Severus began to wonder if he would even see Caterina tonight. Part of him desperately did and part of him did not. From his view, all the seats surrounding them were already filled. The concert hall was packed to capacity and she could be anywhere, in the balcony or even backstage, during the entire benefit.

As if reading his thoughts, Dumbledore leaned over and whispered, "Caterina invited us to the reception afterwards, so I do not believe we'll see her before then. I gather she takes a very backseat role in putting these together."

Severus groaned inwardly. There would be a reception, afterwards? Where people mingle, talk and eat stupid, little, fancy foods which usually taste nasty and bland? Someone apparently and purposefully had forgotten to mention that. A feeling of pure torture washed over him, with a little voice yelling out in the back of his mind, telling him he could easily endure it all just to see her, only if but for a minute, even. Severus fought for control of his mind.

The orchestra began to play as all lights dimmed out but those on the stage. A tall, young man, with tight, curly blond hair, dressed in a stylish black suit, walked out on stage. He hadn't uttered a single word and yet, the crowd went wild. He gave a cocky grin, took a deep bow and quieted everyone with his hands. He must be some popular muggle personality.

The young man spoke with great ease and flowing humor for several minutes, thanking everyone for attending and for all the magnanimous donations that had been made to the charity thus far. Then he introduced the first performance. He appeared after each one, to talk briefly about the next. At one point, Severus finally caught that his name was Alex and that he himself was a singer.

Severus was impressed by several of the performances and a few were almost enjoyable. They seemed to be the best of the best - talented musicians, soloists, dancers and vocal groups. There was even a ballet act, although it did not intrigue him in the least, the way watching Caterina had. They were simply not as graceful, nor as beautiful.

Finally, Alex was on stage again, announcing himself, along with a special guest, being as the last performance of the night.

"At last," Severus sighed to himself, ready for it to be over and hoping to catch a glimpse of Caterina soon.

* * *

Caterina was nervously waiting in the wings along the right side of the stage, ready to walk out and join Alex.

"Ok, just breathe Cat, you can do this. Five minutes, more or less and then it's all over. Breathe."

She waited for his signal to join him but he continued talking.

"I must take a few moments and tell you about someone very wonderful and utterly amazing. The main driving force behind these fabulous events is one of the biggest inspirations I've ever met in my life."

"_Oh no! No! NO! Don't you dare!"_ thought Caterina's mind wildly. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as panic gripped her. He'd told her he would introduce her by name and that would be it. They would sing, the curtain would close, end of story. Tada! There was no mentioning of any speeches about any amazing, inspirational peoples. Suddenly, Caterina was now hating her mother's insistence that she had ten years of extensive vocal training. What had she gotten herself into?

"She goes out of the way at times to stay out of the limelight but I thought it only fitting to drag her out into it tonight to share a tiny taste of her talent with us all. Most of you have never met her, though she's the reason we're all her tonight, because she started the _Chances of Children Charity_ after tragically losing her own brother. Isn't it truly awesome to see what the dream of that has turned into? Millions upon millions of pounds have been raised to fund children's projects, the world over."

Alex's voice droned on but she couldn't wrap her mind around anything else he said until someone thrust a microphone into her hand and someone else gave her a push from behind to get her feet moving.

"Ladies and gentleman, please give a generously warm welcome to the beautiful Caterina Clarkstone!"

"Knock'em dead, Cat," whispered the backstage coordinator. The audience was once again cheering wildly.

"Breathe, just breathe," she told herself. Cat wasn't sure how gracefully she managed it, but she soon found herself out on stage and next to Alex. Her face had to be twenty shades darker than her dress, she was sure of that.

"Poise, clarity, focus... Poise, clarity, focus...," came the only saying that ensnared her thoughts. It had been drilled into her by a longtime ballet coach. "Always maintain your poise, clear your mind and focus on the task at hand, not the audience..."

For once, it worked. Instantly, Caterina felt a gentle wave of calmness growing from out of it. With that, she pulled together her sweetest smile and a gentle nod toward the audience. They heightened their cheers for a few moments before quieting themselves.

Caterina looked at Alex, who now had his microphone in hand. He winked a smile at her and held out his free hand for her to take and together they stepped up to the large, single spotlighted area on the stage that was waiting for them.

Her eyes gave a sweeping glance around the concert hall but she knew she would see no faces. The overhead lights caused most everything past the stage to blend together in only brightness. She nodded in cue to the conductor down in the orchestra pit, while taking a deep, silent breath. The music ensued, Caterina closed her eyes and started to sing.

* * *

A/N: Will Caterina make it all the way through, without passing out? Does she get to see Severus afterwards and what will he really think of it all?

Thanks for the encouraging and sweet comments about the story! Please, keep'em coming! Snapey hugs to you all!


	7. Hope Flickers in the Soul

**Chapter 7**

**Hope Flickers in the Soul**

The sight of Caterina coming out onto the stage, right there before Severus' eyes had expected them, knocked his tightly, controlled mind into a fiery battle of opposing wills. She was dressed in a deep burgundy red taffeta, and a warm radiance poured out from her and flowed toward him. He felt as if he alone were basking in her gentle glow. Her low cut gown was strapless and hugged her curves seductively. The bodice of it sparkled from what appeared to be hundreds of tiny crystals sewn into a flourishing pattern around the top. It wrapped tightly around her waist to partway down her legs, almost mermaid style before flaring out slightly around the bottom, which was laced with more crystals. Her hair was pulled up in the front and sides and set with a row of real, deep red rosebuds to match the dress. There were also lots of tiny curls hanging down, around her face and neck, giving her a delicate, wind-swept look. She was exquisite in every way, her beauty flawless. There was no one else who could dare compare to her, the world over. He wanted to whisk her off the stage and steal away with her.

'_It's only a pipe-dream_!' screamed one opposing force to the other in his mind. '_And that's all it will ever be! She would hate you, all the more, the instant you would reveal what you truly are!_'

Ahh... but the dream of it alone, was enough to survive on, almost...

Severus watched her every movement, absorbed by her and consumed in a fashion like he'd never experienced over anyone before in his life. As he beheld her beautiful smile, he became entranced by a tiny feeling that was growing within him. It was an odd quiver, a sort of flicker, coming from within his chest, almost as if his own heart were starting to beat for the first time, because of her. What was this new sensation?

When she opened her mouth to sing, he felt the flicker quiver again and surge within his heart. He drew a sharp breath and sighed contentedly. Dumbledore surveyed his obviously smitten friend out of the corner of his eye and raised an eyebrow to himself in total shock and disbelief. Was that feeling possible for his hard, embittered friend that the years had been so unkind to? And would he welcome this feeling if he recognized it for what it truly was? But most importantly, would she return the same affection, if even given the chance? It would be a delicate matter to observe.

Severus sat captivated by her. He was in awe of her voice, how mellifluous and pleasing it was as she sang. Soon another voice blended in with hers and interrupted his thoughts. He'd forgotten about the other singer who was now holding her hand and gazing into her eyes intently as he sang at times. There was a sharp feeling, coiling in beside his heart in a protective manner that wanted to strike the wretch down for such a gesture toward her.

He focused on Caterina and her dulcet voice. She looked enraptured as she sang. Was it because she felt the words of the song so powerfully or because of the man standing beside her? He'd never once thought that she might be seeing someone, have a lover or even possibly be engaged to marry. All at once the flicker in his heart ceased. It seemed to cry out, "_No! __D__on't let it be so!"_ He tried recalling if he'd seen a ring on her left hand or a ring of any kind. No, he was sure he had not, but that didn't necessarily mean anything these days. It became his goal to find out. But how? He couldn't bear to ask the question himself and he would never consent to asking Dumbledore to find out for him. He was not that kind of man. He found things out for himself and did things in his own way.

All too soon, the song was over. The audience roared their appreciation. Caterina curtsied with gentle ease as the other singer bowed deeply. Then that wretched man threw his arms around her, lifted her up off the stage a few inches and kissed her cheek. Caterina giggled a bit. Severus could not read in her face if she enjoyed that or if it was just nervousness over the performance. Either way, he wanted to throttle the wretch and curse him into the next week for it, as he stood there thanking everyone for coming, arm around Caterina. Without thinking, his hand reached into his coat pocket and touched the tip of his wand before a great clap on his shoulder brought him out of his ponderings.

"Marvelous, simple marvelous, wasn't it Severus? And Caterina, well, she's quite the angel, isn't she?"

Dumbledore pretended to inspect the shimmery jacket of the person in front of them but curiously, he watched Severus with one eye.

"Yes, yes an angel... marvelous..." Severus said quietly.

Severus lost sight of Caterina now as she and that wretch exited toward the side stage, his arm fastened securely around her waist.

* * *

Caterina was still breathless as Alex half dragged her backstage.

"Oh wow, Cat! We were pretty amazing together, if I do say so myself! We make a fabulous pair don't we? But thank God, you didn't feel faint-ish until it was all over. Don't worry, I don't think anyone really noticed," he said with a chuckle.

"Goodness, Alex, thanks. How did you manage to notice? I wasn't quite sure of the feeling as it was overtaking me at first."

"I've been on stage countless times now, when someone has fainted dead away for one reason or another. You learn to recognize the signs pretty quickly. The way your hand started shaking uncontrollably near the end was the first one I caught and when they threw the lights to full at the end, you had an almost dangerous sway to your curtsey, so I just grabbed ya."

He walked her back toward the dressing rooms and stopped by hers. He reached over, caressed her cheek, gave her a charming smile and kissed her full on the lips. Caterina gave a nervous chuckle and pulled back quickly.

He winked. "Oh Cat, so still a no then? Things haven't changed yet, on how you feel about me, huh?"

Caterina shook her head. "No, not on that, they haven't. Not even when you've just played the dashing hero."

"Well I thought I'd try a go at it anyways. Go get yourself calmed down, freshened up, whatever you need to do. I'll meet you over in the reception room in a few. And Cat, absolutely stunning dress, by the way!"

He raised an eyebrow in an alluring way, winked again and headed on to his dressing room.

Oh yes, the reception! Caterina had forgotten about it for a few moments. Before the performance, she eagerly looked forward to it, but now she was half scared to enter the room. The only thought that stayed her, was the desire to find out if Mr. Dumbledore and, hopefully, Severus had attended. She'd find out soon enough.

* * *

Dumbledore and Severus made their way to a grand and spacious reception room that was already full of people though not near the amount that had attended the benefit. It seemed that this was by invitation only, which Dumbledore promptly presented when stopped at the door. Many of the evening's performers were already there, each with small audiences of their own, circling around them. Severus anxiously searched for Caterina but to no avail.

He was just starting to grow impatient when Dumbledore nudged his arm discreetly and he followed the Headmaster's eyes to the far left doorway. It was open and a line of people were forming around it. Caterina, in her striking dress could clearly be seen coming through the doorway, her face shining. He stifled a loud groan as he saw that wretched creature following close behind her. At least his hands were to himself now.

It seemed ages before Caterina got through the crowd and made her way toward them, her face still radiant, despite all the handshakes, hugs, and squeezes people had given her. There was a man that appeared to be hovering around her everywhere she went but that other wretch was finally detained and his attentions were elsewhere at the other end of the room.

Dumbledore was first to congratulate her on the success of the evening and upon the wonderful performance she'd given. "My dear, you were like listening to an angel."

He clasped both of her hands tightly in his and then gently raised one hand to plant a small kiss on its back. She blushed lightly and laughed. Caterina was turned away from Severus, allowing him full view of her back for the first time. The dress had no actual back so to speak, as the fabric stopped just below the level of her elbows. But the back that it did have, was corset laced down and on past her natural waist. Seeing her smooth white skin exposed like that sent tiny tingles shooting all over his body. He resisted the urge to run his fingers across her skin. He was in complete control this time.

She turned toward him with her beaming smile and her deep blue eyes twinkling, while her small hand reached over and gently grasped his. It was soft and warm just like in his dream... That flicker surged with a sharp intensity.

"I'm glad you came, Severus. What did you think?" Caterina's face beamed up at his.

"It was an interesting evening. Thank you for the invitation. I must say..." Severus mused.

But before he could finish, the man who had been hovering, gently tapped Caterina's shoulder, excused himself for the interruption and proceeded to whisper something in her ear. She raised a brow, gave a funny smile then nodded her head and whispered her own thanks for whatever the message was. All the while, her hand, still grasping Severus'.

"I'm sorry for that, you were saying?" Caterina apologized.

"How I enjoyed your song. I've never heard it before tonight."

"Really?" Caterina looked surprised. "Well, I'm glad you finally got the chance. It's a personal favorite of mine."

Their eyes locked for several moments and with that she seemed to blush again, finally letting go of his hand. Her eyes darted quickly around the room then back to him. She appeared to be expecting someone else at any moment. Or was she looking for a way to escape from him?

"Oh forgive me! I don't think I've introduced you all. This is Jamison Lahey. He's the brains behind Clarkstone and Company nowadays, as well as doing various other jobs, such as looking after many family affairs for us."

The man who had been hovering, stepped forward again, shook hands and made introductions with Dumbledore and Severus.

"No I don't believe we've ever met but I recognize your name from the company records," he said warmly, with a nod in Severus' direction. "I'm so glad that you two gentlemen were able to attend tonight. Cat here has been working herself like mad, to pull it off without a hitch and it certainly paid off, didn't it dear?"

With that, Jamison reached out and gave her an affectionate squeeze while rubbing his hand up and down her bare arm. Caterina seemed at ease with his arm lingering around her, causing that tiny flicker to dwindle again in Severus' heart. "_You fool_," it seemed to say to him. Was she...were they... he couldn't bring himself to finish the thought, foolish as he knew it was not to. She was forever out of his reach no matter what, he admitted to himself.

Just then, a loud cry startled him and everyone close by.

"Kitty-darling! Oh, there you are! This place certainly is a madhouse!"

Kitty-darling? Severus' eyes flicked to Caterina's face. Her eyes were closed as if she were trying to gather her resolve to face this newest intruder. She spun around gracefully, now with her back toward Severus again. God, it was so tempting to reach out and stroke his fingers across her smooth skin. He closed his eyes for a moment to master control over his mind.

The woman threw herself around Caterina in a fierce hug. Then she grabbed Caterina's face and kissed her forehead. Severus suddenly realized that the woman was her mother. They looked similar in many ways, though Caterina was by far prettier and several inches shorter.

"Oh Kitty-darling! You were absolutely superb! I'm so proud of you! What an amazing event this was!"

Then she leaned in close to Caterina, causing her to take a step back toward him. They were dangerously close, as Severus had only a wall behind him. He caught what looked like a pleading sidelong glance from Caterina to Jamison. Jamison however, was now caught up in conversation with Dumbledore. And although she was closer to her daughter, Mrs. Clarkstone barely dropped her voice. This could get very awkward, Severus thought.

"Now Cat darling, why haven't you been hanging around that Alex fellow more? He's so very handsome! What a voice! And he appears to be completely smitten with you. Course with this little sexy bit of a dress you've got going on here, well, what man could bear to resist you! And don't you dare try and tell you weren't close to fainting there at the end. I'm your mother and I know you! I saw how he had to grab you to keep you from crashing down. What a total gentleman! Not many men take notice to a woman who's about to faint these days, trust me, I know! Do your dear mother a favor and snatch that delightful fellow up, before someone else does. He's seems to be very popular with the ladies."

Caterina reached a small hand behind her back, clasping and unclasping it into a tight fist. Severus was highly entertained by all this, as several thoughts were forming together in his head.

"Mother!" Caterina hissed in a much quieter voice. "He's a nice enough guy but not at all my type, first of all. And secondly, there's a reason he's so popular with the ladies, he likes to string as many of them along as possible, at a time. You know what I mean? I think he's been engaged four times in the last few years, but never married any of them?"

"Ohhhhh! Wait, is he the one that...?"

"Yes, Mum, _that_ one," said Caterina through almost gritted teeth.

"Well never mind, best find someone else then, and make sure he keeps his dirty mitts off of you, dearest."

Caterina slowly turned and caught Severus' amused smile. She narrowed her eyes at him but smiled back. "Mum, this is Severus Snape. Drew and he used to play together as children. Remember?"

"Of course! Yes, how are you? Wait, aren't you also the same boy who rescued Cat when she fell through the ice?"

Severus shook her outstretched hand and nodded, though inside he cringed at the reminder of how he'd once harmed Caterina. Mrs. Clarkstone was eyeing Severus thoughtfully now. She reached up and touched his hair as it lay against his collar.

"You've always worn your hair long, haven't you? Most men can't pull it off very well but somehow it's not too bad on you."

She gave his shoulder a motherly pat."Well I better be off to make a few more rounds. Several more friends I need to catch. Kitty-darling, I'll see you later. Severus, good to see you, dear. Take care."

With that, she kissed Caterina on the forehead again and off she went. Caterina let out a long sigh with a shake of her head. She again caught Severus eyeing her and this time she dissolved into a fit of giggles. She reached over and touched his arm.

"Could I interest you possibly, in a mother? One who's only a touch high maintenance? Free, to a good home?"

Severus snorted at that and gave her a wide smile. "No thank you. You seem to manage her just fine."

"Oh, dear! That was terrible of me to say, wasn't it? Shame on me. Really, I love her dearly and don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to her but... well, she's like a whirlwind most of the time, as you've just witnessed. I'd have lost my mind years ago if Jamison weren't around to help rein her in."

With that, Caterina uttered another little sigh and smiled up at him serenely. He noticed something in her face he'd never seen before. Her bright eyes were starting to look tired and that concerned him greatly. Then he remembered what her mother mentioned and before he could stop himself, he gently put his hand against her bare back. Her smooth skin was a wondrous feeling under his fingers. He regretted his action immediately as he fought a strong urge to scoop her up and take her away in his arms. She clearly needed rest. He battled against his will and lost this time. He would not allow his hand to linger.

"Are you alright, Caterina? You look a bit tired. Your mother mentioned something about you feeling faint?" Severus asked in his deep, quiet voice.

"Oh, I'm fine. I guess I am a little tired from this whole event. The fainting was nothing really, just a case of me neglecting myself the past few days, improper sleep, eating... you know those types of things, with being so busy getting all this ready. Nothing that a few days of sleep shouldn't cure. I was hoping nobody noticed, but leave it to my mum not to let anything I do escape her eye. Alex appeared to play it off well, I hope."

Her blue eyes stared questioningly into his, waiting and watching for a response but he was going back to the part again where he wanted to scoop her up and take her away. He would not allow her to neglect herself... "_Stop it_," his mind hissed.

"Yes, I think he did," agreed Severus quickly, while adding to himself, '_a little too well_.' Though, now he contemplated about lightning up, just a tad on the wretch for at least keeping Caterina from falling on stage. For that he was grateful.

"Good. Although I think he may have enjoyed it a bit too much, by the time he had me dragged backstage." Caterina let out a sigh.

Never mind lightning up; Severus' temper flared, hot under his collar, but he kept his face free from showing any hint of it and his voice remained calm. He did not wish to alarm her.

"And what makes you say that?"

"He thought he could steal another kiss, better than what he'd gotten on stage, but he was quite sadly mistaken." She smirked and shook her head.

Severus could only see the flames, burning white in his mind for several moments. His black eyes gleamed as he fiercely scanned the room, looking for the wretch who would dare try and take advantage of Caterina like that. He'd make him pay for it; he knew countless curses that would do so rather nicely, without ever laying a finger on him.

"Severus? Severus?"

Caterina was speaking to him and he knew he needed to focus past the flames and on her voice instead of doing what he so desperately wanted to do to that horrid wretch. Quickly, he dropped the hand that was reaching for his wand again.

"Huh?" He glanced down at Caterina.

"You looked lost there for a moment, and I said, 'A penny for your thoughts?'"

He forced a small, rigid smile and as he met her deep blue eyes, the fire within him seemed to be cooled by her gaze. He could not think of anything to say so he just gazed right back into her eyes, as long as she would allow him.

Suddenly and without warning, Caterina reached up with her right hand and ran her fingers gently through his black hair. A feeling like none other before it engulfed him by that simple action on her part. He reached for her hand, caught it lightly against his shoulder and brought it down by his side tenderly. He did not let it go, though, as his eyes searched earnestly for the answer to her unexpected, yet affectionate, gesture toward him.

She blushed lightly and dropped her eyes down for a moment.

"I'm sorry, I should have asked but I've always wanted to do that ever since we were little. My mother was right about one thing for sure - it really does suit you quite well."

She lifted her now vivid blue eyes to his once more. The blush was hanging around her cheeks still but on her lips was a sweet, heart-stopping smile.

Severus was stunned. Never before had anyone that mattered to him paid him such a compliment. And out of that thought, everything fell into place, like a puzzle being completed. The flickers in his chest, the opposing wills, they were all because of what he'd really been fighting off - the fact that she _mattered_ to him, more than anyone else ever had.

Severus couldn't help but think of something else Caterina's mother was right about - without a doubt, she was completely and utterly irresistible in that dress. He wanted desperately to tell her so but all he could do was smile. So he smiled his first real and genuine smile back at her. Those were rare from him to anyone. Not only did it lighten up his whole face and touch his eyes, but it appeared to be shining right out from the depths of his soul, for_ her_.

* * *

A/N: Now where do we go from here? Would he actually consider a muggle woman?

Many huge thanks and hugs to everyone for the sweet reviews and kind messages you've sent about my story so far! I really appreciate the encouraging words! Please continue to let me know what you think!

Also, many thanks to Sallie for her keen eye in catching any errors!

Title inspired by Emily Dickinson's poem:

_Hope is the thing with feathers_

_That perches in the soul,_

_And sings the tune without the words,_

_And never stops at all..._

And lastly, Caterina and Alex sang _The Prayer_, by David Foster. There are a lot of beautiful duets of it, if you Google it! :)


	8. The Complications of Feelings

**Chapter 8**

**The Complications of Feelings**

Severus spent the next two weeks internally debating about Caterina. He found himself to be quite taken with her. That feeling went against every fiber of his being, right down to his very core. He, Severus Snape, did not give into those kinds of feelings and he looked down his nose on those around him, that did. Especially when it came to the ridiculous, hormonal-driven teenagers that he dealt with year after year. They were often prone to infatuations and nothing good ever came of them. That did not happen to him. He did not let it happen. Not over anyone, and certainly least of all, not over a simple muggle. Although, he was quickly beginning to realize she was by no means a simple Muggle. She was so much more and now he himself, for lack of a better word, was infatuated by her. It had to be stopped.

Was his deep control really slipping away after all these years? Long ago he had decided, quite simply, he did not have the time to be bothered with the ways of love. He'd given himself over completely to his task of aiding Dumbledore to rid the world of Voldemort and he never looked back on it. There were extreme dangers and risks he would face and most likely he would die seeing it through. He'd made his peace upon that as well. Why complicate life with love and family ties?

Maybe part of it was because he'd grown up seeing no real love represented in his own house. Or maybe it was because of the sheer unfaithfulness he found among those married within the followers of Voldemort. Many of the Death Eaters he knew would just as easily cheat as they would cast jinxes on the Muggles they passed each day. Seeing that greatly disgusted him. And of those who remained faithful, no matter which side they were on, many were left alone to deal with pain and emptiness over the sudden death of their love, in the course of the fighting.

Best to live alone and stay alone. That was what he did and that was how he'd remain. There was no one out there for him. And one day he would die alone. That was how he saw his life.

He remembered Dumbledore's advice to befriend her. That part actually seemed to be going well enough but for how long would he need to do such? He did find her interesting for a muggle and surprisingly she appeared eager to likewise befriend him. So the task would not be as tedious as he'd first anticipated. But he was not a stupid man to dare think his infatuation over Caterina could actually lead to anything real someday. Thankfully, school would be starting soon and he would be rid of his unwarranted feelings as he would no longer be near her. Once back at Hogwarts, his head would certainly clear of this senseless and erratic infatuation. Yet, deep down in his heart, he was beginning to enjoy those tiny flickers that started up when in her presence and he would miss them.

In all honesty, he wasn't anxious to start back at Hogwarts after the news broke of who would be taking the Defence Against the Dark Arts post. It went to Gilderoy Lockhart, a brainless wizard who was in love with himself and who had no real abilities unless you could count trying to smile as bewitchingly as possible for pictures of himself. Such a puerile half-wit! What had possessed Dumbledore to hire such a fool? Especially when he knew that Severus would be more than willing to take over that subject. And on top of it all, who knew what troubles the Potter boy and his mischievous friends would get into this term. The year would probably drag on forever.

Severus had but one bright spot to focus on before term started. He hoped to see Caterina once more before taking leave of Spinner's End. Dumbledore sent him a note of thanks to pass along to her and after hours of internal debate, he chose to deliver it in person before departing for Hogwarts. It was the polite thing to do. In complete truth, he longed to see her sweet smile but he wanted to prove to himself that he could retain complete control over his feelings and emotions. And as much as he wanted it to stop and to be in control, he did not.

* * *

It was just after breakfast and Caterina sat in the office, sorting through paperwork Jamison left for her, when the doorbell rang. She knew Ellie, the housekeeper, was busy helping her mother pack for another trip to some posh resort. So she quickly skipped down the steps to answer the door herself.

Her eyes were pleasantly surprised at the sight that greeted her. "Severus! It's great to see you! Come on in."

"Caterina," he acknowledged with a slight smile on his lips but he stayed on the porch. "I did not stop by to visit. I'm heading back for the start of the new school term shortly and Dumbledore asked me to deliver this for him."

He pulled a small blue envelope from inside his jacket pocket and handed it to her.

"Oh. You are?" She couldn't help but look slightly crestfallen at his statement.

So he was not there of his own choosing. Of course not. What was with him? She didn't know what to expect from him. He ran so hot or cold each time she saw him. At the benefit, he had been quite enjoyable to talk with and actually acted friendly toward her. But the time before that, he acted like she had the plague, the way he tore off out of the house, once he had the tickets. Maybe he really did detest her and was only polite out of respect, when in the presence of Mr. Dumbledore. She took the envelope as she scanned his face and searched his black eyes. They were inscrutable but she gathered from his tone that he didn't sound overjoyed at the thought of returning to school.

"Will you be back at all, for any weekends or holidays?" she asked hopefully.

"Generally, no. I return only once or twice throughout the whole school year. Sometimes never."

Caterina grinned. "Guess that would be why I had a hard time tracking you down until this summer."

He nodded in agreement though his face remained almost expressionless. She smiled charmingly up at him now as she was not going to be defeated. He didn't have to like her for her to complete her task. Caterina made up her mind and set her resolve. She wasn't going to give in or give up.

"I'm glad I finally did. It's been wonderful getting to see you again after all these years, Severus. If you do happen to come back into town for a weekend, I'd love for you to stop by and see me. Maybe... maybe we could go out for dinner or coffee?"

Severus hesitated. "I don't know. Possibly..."

"Or what about Christmas? Any chance you'll be back in town then?" she suggested.

"That depends on how many children stay on at school over the holidays."

"Oh. I see."

Caterina tried little to hide her disappointment now. She wanted him to know she would miss seeing him, not that he cared.

"Well, ummm... how about your mail? I don't believe we'll have any more notices to send you but just in case...?" she asked half jokingly, half sullenly.

"That's taken care of. All my mail will be forwarded this year. Last year there was a slight oversight about it and it's been corrected," Severus quickly explained.

"Ok, well... I guess that would leave us at goodbye then, huh?"

"I suppose it does."

She looked questioningly into his black eyes. He stared intently into hers now as if he honestly didn't want to say goodbye. And before she even realized what she was doing, Caterina stepped forward and slipped her arms around him in a quick hug. She could tell she'd caught him totally off guard as he stiffened his body slightly and swallowed hard. Awkwardly, but gently, he patted her back with one hand. When she pulled away and surveyed him, she found that he looked pleasantly surprised by what she had done and not at all irritated as she had expected.

She couldn't resist putting a hand to his chest and imploringly, Caterina looked up at him. "Take care of yourself, Severus."

Severus glanced down at her little white hand and for some unknown reason, clasped his large hand over it. "I will, Caterina."

* * *

Severus caught himself contemplating his last visit with Caterina. He had almost managed total, unwavering control over himself and his feelings. He came prepared for anything. Then it was all dashed away in half a second, the moment she had gone and hugged him. She hugged him! He was most incontrovertibly not the hugging type. Ever. Period. But no woman ever hugged him like Caterina had and what it did to his senses was more unnerving to him than when she'd run her fingers through his hair. The extreme closeness of bodies pressing together... God, what was she trying to do to him? It gave him the desire to visit her every weekend during the school year just over that.

Much to his dismay, returning to Hogwarts did little to relieve him of his strange feelings for Caterina. Severus spent a week brooding about in the dungeons, gathering potion ingredients, stocking the store rooms and preparing the many potions generally needed throughout the course of the year. He desperately tried to rid himself of any and all free time that would allow his mind to dwell on her. But at night, as he pillowed his head, if his thoughts didn't swim directly toward her, then his dreams submerged him in her, of their own accord. At times, they were as simple as him walking along beside her, down a long winding road that had no end in sight. Some left him apprehensive over her safety and others brought longings to him that he'd never dared to acknowledge he possessed.

To all the other professors, Severus Snape appeared to be his usual sardonic and derisive self. While they all held a sort of mutual respect for him, and him for them, none of them really knew him on any sort of personal level of friendship. The only person to perceive the tiniest hint of his preoccupied mind was Dumbledore and that was only because of how well he knew Severus after all the long years of their close workings. Dumbledore knew him better than anyone, at times possibly better than Severus even knew himself.

Term started worse than Severus could have imagined, thanks to Harry and his sidekick Ron. Instead of sitting through the start of term feast, he found himself wandering the castle and grounds, positively seething, in search of them, as well as evidence of their reckless and pretentious arrival. According to the Evening Prophet, the two of them were too good to arrive on the Hogwarts Express like everyone else, and had been spotted in a flying car. While Severus had vowed to protect Harry, he never approved of the frivolous antics the boy seemed to constantly place himself in. Whether it was in need to further popularize himself in the Wizarding World or just because he liked to show off, Severus did not know, nor did he care. He did however find dealing with him tedious and vexatious.

Presently, he came across the troublesome duo peeking into the Great Hall and inquiring of each other, where their surly Potions Master might be. He listened for a moment before sweeping down upon them and escorting them into his office to await proper punishment for their sheer flouting of the rules. He was almost disappointed that they both weren't expelled for their actions and in the midst of expressing this feeling, Dumbledore cut him off and left it all in the hands of Professor McGonagall.

"Do come Severus, there was a most delicious-looking custard I would very much like to try."

Severus allowed Dumbledore to lead him out of his own office and they headed back toward the Great Hall but he was still highly aggravated. His brow was furrowed in deep annoyance.

"Tell me Severus, did you have a chance to see Caterina before returning to school?" Albus inquired. "I trust she is well and that you delivered my note of appreciation?"

Dumbledore's penetrating gaze caught the sudden change in Severus' demeanor just at the mere mention of her name. His trained eye watched the angry mood suddenly abating and though Severus stared straight ahead, his face pained an almost wistful contemplation.

"Yes. I did."

Severus' voice was flat and he spoke no more than that. He did not need to, as Dumbledore read it all through his carefully masked face.

"Ahh. Very good."

* * *

Fall quickly led into winter and Caterina worked to keep busy. She found herself missing Severus, along with his peculiar and provoking ways. There was something almost endearing about him. As the weeks passed, she discovered he was slowly consuming her thoughts. She often wondered if he had even given her a second thought since he'd last left her house. Probably not. What was this odd, yet powerful hold he seemed to cast over her? She had long determined he was a man with many deep buried secrets and so Caterina was beginning to suspect that Severus did not make friends with anyone easily. But that, once he did, he was probably a fierce and devoted one. She gathered that he valued important characteristics such as loyalty, honesty and respect and demanded those traits in return from those he befriended. She admired that and realized she did not have to be his friend for any needful reason, but that she wanted to be. Would he ever let her become that close?

With each passing week, Caterina recognized a growing disappointment in her heart as there was no sign of Severus returning to his little shabby house. She discovered it driving her into deep distraction, especially with each passing weekend, as that was when she became most eager of a hopeful visit from him. Soon Christmas approached and he continued to remain absent.

After a short debate with herself, Caterina decided there was actually something she could do, to help ease her mind about him. She headed up to her bedroom, determined to give Severus even just a little reminder.

* * *

It was Christmas Eve and Severus found himself still at Hogwarts. Though very few students had opted to stay through the holidays, he had remained there only out of his sense of duty and his vow to protect Harry, in light of the events that had unfolded at Hogwarts since the start of term. Someone, or thing, was attacking and petrifying students and creatures alike and the outlook was dismal for its capture. His mood was most melancholy as he'd secretly longed to return home to Spinners' End over the holidays just to see Caterina, even if it were only for a few minutes. He highly doubted that she was entertaining the same thoughts about him at the present, despite her urging for him to stop by.

He headed to his office in search of a diversion to his thoughts. As Severus removed his usual wards and entered, he was struck with a tiny, familiar sweet and yet slightly spicy scent. It couldn't be. He must truly be going mad now. He shook himself into full alertness and discipline of mind. The smell remained, however, reminding him of the delightfully soft amber smell that hung around Caterina. His eyes flitted about the room, finally settling on a small delivery owl perched in the center of his desk. Could it be? No, surely not.

With practiced ease Severus removed the owl's deliveries, paid it and quickly sent it away. He rarely received muggle mail of any consequence, just the usual ridiculous flyers and advertisements. His keen eyes quickly told him this delivery was much the same but with one small exception. Sandwiched between two blazing holiday ads, he found a little cream-colored envelope. His address was handwritten in small, clear cursive. There was no return address but when he flipped it over, there upon the back flap was a embossed monogram letter C, surrounded by several fancy flourishes. Severus felt that tiny flicker within his heart awaken in anticipation and excitement.

Swiftly opening the envelope, Severus took great care not to damage it in any way. His hand carefully pulled out a card, the front of which depicted a serene and old-fashioned Christmas scene of a couple enjoying a snowy sleigh ride. The picture had a touch of shimmer to it as the light from the surrounding candles hit it. The sweet, familiar smell was definitely coming from the card.

The pace of that flicker increased in his heart, as he adeptly opened the card. Inside he read:

_"Dear Severus,_

_I trust this card finds you well. I just wanted to let you know I was thinking of you and wanted to wish you the very merriest of holidays. If you have the chance to sneak away from school, please be sure to drop by, anytime, even if it's only to say hi. I'd love to see you. Happy Christmas!_

_Always,_

_Caterina"_

His mind was whirling in a sea of thoughts and questions, not to mention wonderment. She had actually thought of him - enough to send him a Christmas card? Quickly the muggle mail went into the fireplace but he closed his eyes and brought Caterina's card up close to his nose as he deeply inhaled her soft scent that was upon it. It was intoxicating to his senses and immediately drew up her beautiful image from the recesses of his mind. To hell with his tightly-wound control!

* * *

A/N: Awww... why do feelings make everything so hard to figure out? Poor Severus! But what a pleasant surprise for him to receive by owl! Do you think many people ever send him Christmas cards? LOL!

Again and always, thanks for reading and for the kind reviews! I'd love to know what you're thinking so far! ;)


	9. Eavesdropping

**Chapter 9**

**Eavesdropping**

For Severus, January to June appeared to be the longest passage of time he'd ever experienced. Due to the growing and continuing threat of danger at Hogwarts that year, he had not once been able to take leave and return to his home on Spinner's End. Ten months was a long time to endure, not seeing Caterina. The card, now hidden away and shielded by the heaviest of charms and concealment spells, deep within his bedchambers, served as his only tangible reminder that she had in fact even been real, it seemed to him. For there were times he began to believe he'd dreamt her up entirely.

With only a few days left to muddle through before the end of the school year, Severus desperately yearned for a spell with which he could propel time faster by. Although he wasn't sure why, as he had no idea how to properly go about contacting her once he was home again. Despite the fact she told him just to stop by and say '_H__i__'_ anytime, that was simply not his style. Not that he even had a style, when it came to befriending a beautiful woman, such as Caterina. He pondered this very idea, when another thought struck him. What if, after ten months, Caterina had moved on to other friends and really didn't want to be bothered by him anymore? So be it then, and such is life, he told himself. He could move on too, right?

Two days before leaving Hogwarts, he received an answer to his pondering. He was working in his office, going through his end of year checklists. A soft hooting came from behind him as he sorted and organized potions ingredients on the shelves. Turning around, he found a small brown spotted mail owl with what looked like several letters, waiting on his desk. His heart beat quickened as he removed them and he was immediately greeted by the sweet familiar scent again. A small beryl blue envelope was definitely from Caterina as he recognized her neat cursive writing and the second larger white envelope held the Clarkstone and Company emblem on its front. What could this possibly be about? Severus wasn't sure if he wanted to find out, remembering the news brought by the ones he'd missed last year.

He decided to open Caterina's first. Inside was a simple matching blue card with her first and last name embossed on the front in raised print, surrounded with a scrolling flourish pattern. On the inside was a longer note this time.

"_Dear Severus,_

_I hope your school year has gone well. I'm not sure when you might be returning home for the summer so I just wanted to give you a heads up about what's going on at the old C&C warehouse next to your house. It's scheduled to be torn down over the next few weeks, and I'm sorry to say things might be a bit noisy for you at times during the day. I apologize for this and any inconveniences it may cause you. It's a project that's been a long time coming and has been put on the back burner a few too many times until now. I'm eager to get it over with and behind me or we would wait until the next school year started for you so you could enjoy the summer a little more quietly. If things become bothersome for you, you know who to come and see about it._

_Yours truly,_

_Caterina_"

Well that was interesting information to say the least. There were quite a few old and unused warehouses in the area but this was the first he was aware of any companies actually tearing one down. It seemed like a great expense to do so. But now he had much more of a legitimate reason to actually go see Caterina, so he really didn't care whatever the reason might be. He re-read her note again, before opening the formal looking notice from Clarkstone and Company. It turned out to be a basic form letter, informing him of same thing, just without Caterina's warmth to it.

* * *

It was late on Sunday evening when Severus finally arrived back at his home on Spinner's End. And it was also one of the few times he remembered actually being anxious and even anticipated returning home for the summer. How long would he wait now to see her? Going up to Clarkstone Mansion immediately went against his firm control and rigid personality. Maybe sometime later in the week, he'd venture there. Just maybe, if he had a good enough reason.

Monday proved to be a chilly and dreary day out. Severus arose quite early and busied himself in his small study located in the back corner of the house. It had a window looking out on the alleyway that led down to a small back parking area for the soon to be demolished warehouse. From his keen gaze, he could perceive no attempts at any dismantling yet. Normally, he kept his house shielded from outside noises but today he was half interested in the process soon to be going on out there, so he removed the charm. At seven-thirty sharp, he heard the arrival of what sounded like a small army of construction trucks. Men poured from them and gathered in a large group around what looked to be the main foreman. He gave out orders and the men got right to work. They blocked most of the main street off and all of the alleyway. Severus had to admit that, for Muggles, they were working quite efficiently.

He went back to his books and remained engaged for several hours when he heard several shouts that drew his focus back to the warehouse. There was a tall, good-looking man, with brown peppered hair, dressed in a dark, blue collared-shirt, tie, black trousers and a long black overcoat. Severus had come to recognize this as the standard office-type attire for Muggle men. This new comer was yelling, trying to get the attention of the main foreman. Suddenly, Severus realized it was that _hoverer_, from the reception, Jamison. His interest was piqued and he cast a listening spell at the window. It soon sounded as if the men were right there in the room with him.

The foreman began speaking. "Mr. Lahey, what can I do for you today? Or are you just stopping in to check out the first days' progress?"

"I'm actually here to clear out the building for about thirty minutes or so. Ms. Clarkstone would like to take a final inspection of it," Jamison explained.

The foreman was clearly stunned at this. "Ahhh... What? Here? She wants to come _here?_ Is that such a wise idea, Jamison? I mean... honestly! I've been in there myself and it ain't pretty. You can't believe this is a good idea, to be where, well, ya know..." his voice trailed off.

Jamison shook his head, looking perturbed, "Trust me Allan, I'm not sold on this idea either. Not at all. I've spent the past week trying to dissuade her from doing this, but, well, the girl's got a touch of her father's stubborn streak running through her. Everything is cleaned up in there, right?"

"Oh, absolutely. That was ordered and overseen by Mr. Clarkstone himself, immediately after the attack. The building was scheduled for demolition directly afterwards but well, you know, he took sick himself and her recovery wasn't going the best, so it got halted and it's just been waiting ever since."

"I remember it all. Too vividly," replied Jamison as he ran his fingers through his hair, sighing and shaking his head in an agitated manner.

Severus stopped rummaging through his papers and walked over to the window, intirgued over what he was hearing. Jamison turned around, and Severus caught a very worried look on his face. The foreman stepped closer to Jamison, holding now what appeared to be clipboard full of papers. He started speaking again.

"I'll still never forget that night she was found - even I shed a few tears of relief for the family. And then finding out what they... they did to her. All so terrible and she fought through it so bravely like. She's a strong gal. Why there's grown men who wouldn't have fare half as well as she did through that ordeal. And then after it all, her father... well thankfully she's had someone like you to support her these past couple of years."

At that the foreman clapped Jamison on the arm and held up the clipboard. "Well, while I've got you here, Jamison, you wanna sign off on a few of these?"

Jamsion made a face and shrugged. "Might as well."

The two men fell silent as he sorted and signed the paperwork. Severus' mind whirled, trying to piece together all he had just heard. What was this attack they were talking about? Something terrifying had happened to Caterina, right there by his own house? Where had he been at the time? Even if it was in the past, he still felt horrified at the thought of the tiniest bit of harm upon sweet Caterina. One other thought, though less important, came to him as well, with a twinge of jealousy tied to it. How exactly had this Jamison fellow 'supported' her the past few years?

As he stood, watching out the window, a sleek black car made its way down the alley. Severus quickly strengthened his listening charm. He could not afford to miss hearing anything now. Jamison handed off the paperwork and opened the back door. He offered his hand to Caterina, not that she needed any assistance but because he appeared to be that kind of a gentleman.

When Caterina stepped into full view of him, he let out a long, deep breath. He hadn't realized he was even holding it in. She was every bit as beautiful as before. Severus was never one to ogle women but even he could appreciate her curvaceous body. She was wearing a cream-colored cashmere sweater that had a sharp v-necked front and she was sporting a rather tight pair of those muggle jeans. Her long, chestnut curls hung free around her shoulders and in wonderful contrast against her cream sweater. On her feet were what looked like a pair of brown boots with wide heels. It struck him as the most casual outfit he'd seen her in.

They were only a few hundred feet from his window but he desired to see her closer and in no time at all, he'd charmed the window to magnify everyone to look as if they were standing just on the other side of it. He noticed she wore a large copper pendant around her neck, set with several good-sized blue stones that reflected the varying shades of blue from her vivid eyes. And then, her sweet engaging eyes drew him into themselves. Her eyes looked watchful and yet a little sad, while her lovely face held some sort of hopeful expectation.

Caterina turned slightly and looked directly at him. She held the gaze for several seconds, until her eyes fell, and she appeared downcast. He knew she had not actually seen him due to the wards he'd placed around the windows, long ago. Anyone trying to look in would barely see much more than grim and dirt on the windows. Could it actually be that she was sad at not having seen him in so long?

Seeing her now, with that sad gleam to her eyes made him want to... "_Stop it_!" he rebuked himself before he let the thought finish. "_Caterina would never think of you in that way, old boy, don't even bother to entertain such thoughts. You are of no interest to her other __than__ as a possible friend._"

Severus would not allow that kind of hope into his mind. Almost as if she'd heard his thoughts, she again lifted her eyes and peered directly into his spying window and into his eyes. The protective spells only let her see dirty glass but still his dark eyes seemed locked into hers. A soft, wistful smile overtook her lips but Jamison started speaking, so she slowly pulled her gaze away and turned toward him.

"Cat, you ready?"

She simply nodded her head. Jamison reached over and took her gently by the arm. He seemed to be eyeing her closely, as if expecting her to be suddenly overcome or upset by being there. Holding her elbow, he guided her over toward the foreman. Severus felt a sharp pang of unfounded jealousy running through him.

The foreman stepped forward from a group of workers that had gathered and stuck out his hand for her to shake. "Good to see you, Ms. Clarkstone. We're all ready for ya, the building is empty at the moment - all the workers are taking umm... a coffee break, so take as much time as you would like."

He looked questioningly at Jamison, who nodded at him, before he continued. "Umm... and Ms. Clarkstone, I would also like to kindly ask, if you wouldn't mind terribly, would you please wear one of these hard hats when inside? Several ceiling beams have already been removed today - not any actual structural supports, mind you, but all the same, we don't want to take any risks with your safety ma'am."

"Certainly I will, if you promise to refrain from calling me 'Ma'am'. I'm not my mother. Caterina will do just fine."

Severus detected a small smile playing around her lips as she spoke. And now he found himself very upset. He did not like the thought of her entering that dangerous building, so he stood waiting and alert, wand ready for anything.

"Yes, ma- I mean, Caterina."

The foreman turned around and began to sort through a box of hard hats, apparently looking for the smallest, cleanest one he could find. While the foreman was busy, Jamison laid a hand on her shoulder and tilted her chin up to face him, completely claiming her attention to himself. He took a moment to search her face with his probing brown eyes.

"Caterina dear, you don't have to do this, you know. This place holds nothing over you but gruesome memories. I'm sorry we left it stand for so long..."

"Jamison, I can't explain it, but it's just something I feel I need to do. I'm not sure if it's a closure issue or that I need to confront my fears head on. Maybe both, whatever it is, I've just got to do it."

He closed his eyes for a moment, as if to calm his own self, and then he took her face gently in between his hands and looked straight down into her eyes. "Alright, but you're not going alone and you won't argue with me on that one. I come too and that's final."

He caressed her cheek with his right hand. She closed her eyes, swallowed hard and nodded.

"And the moment you feel overwhelmed in the least by this, we leave immediately."

"Thank you Jamison," she whispered.

He nodded a smile at her and gave her a quick kiss on top of her forehead. Severus felt something sharp, jabbing inside his chest. Again his mind flashed back to how Jamison had treated her at the concert's reception and he started to size Jamison up. He appeared to be maybe twelve, possibly fifteen years older at the most, than Caterina. It was clear that his peppered hair had just grayed a bit early, giving him a mature, handsome look that a woman like Caterina might be very attracted to. What was it Caterina had said about him when she introduced him? He searched his mind for it: "_He's the brains behind Clarkstone now... as well as... looking after many family affairs..._"

Could she have meant a double meaning with the term 'family affairs'? No, that didn't seem to fit what he knew of her. If they were that way with each other, would Caterina have been so kind and free in her gestures toward him the few times they'd seen each other? It was all so confusing. This was why Severus didn't bother with women. They led men along with their sweet little nothings and then turned to seek out someone better just when they had you hooked. Still he couldn't stop the feelings that intrigued him about her. He continued watching the scene outside his window very closely.

The foreman had stepped back over to them with two hard hats in a lurid orange shade. Jamison took them, pausing to place the larger one on his head, then carefully he put the smaller one on Caterina's head.

Jamison let out a loud snicker. "So totally your color, Cat. Might have to take it with you!"

She playfully punched him in the ribs. And with that, he reached down, taking her small slender hand in his and together they walked into the warehouse.

After about fifteen minutes or so they were back out. Caterina looked greatly disturbed by the experience but she apperaed to be holding herself together. Jamison returned the hard hats and opened the car door for her. Caterina paused, giving one last glance at his window. She wiped a single tear from her right eye and disappeared into the black car. Jamison followed after her.

Severus was burning with curiosity and unanswered questions. Some of them, he wasn't sure he wanted the answers to but he knew he had to find them out just the same. There were three at the forefront of his mind. First, and most important - what had happened to Caterina in the old disused warehouse? Secondly, what exactly was the relationship between Caterina and Jamison? And finally, why did it matter to him so much to find out?

* * *

As soon as darkness fell that evening, Severus would start a little investigating of his own. The workers had long been gone but he still preferred to wait until it was quite late. He Apparated directly from his house to just outside the back door Caterina and Jamison had used. Silently he unlocked it with his wand, entered and relocked it. He lit his wand tip for a bit of light and proceeded to search the empty building.

It didn't take him long to find the area that the foreman must have been referring to. It was inside a small room along an outside wall and within it he discovered that most of the floor and walls were charred by fire. With quick flicks of his wand he cast several very strong revealing spells, and discovered a large area that had once been covered in blood. Human blood. Caterina's blood. Whatever had happened here, Jamison was right. It must have been gruesome. His heart truly ached.

He closed his eyes for a moment and pinched the bridge of his nose. Indecision swirled about in his head. He could do it without getting caught; it would be so easy, but should he? What he felt compelled to do next went against so many rules. Wizarding, ethical, privacy, and moral ones alike. But he'd broken many rules in his time, most of them much worse than this.

It was well after midnight. He Disapparated directly from inside the warehouse to under the shelter of a large tree several miles away. Before him stood the impressive Clarkstone Mansion. In complete silence and in quick succession, he threw a number of spells and charms around himself, finishing with the Disillusionment charm. He would be seen or heard by no one now.

Against the mansion he cast several spells. One revealed the layout of each level, and another showed him which rooms were occupied with humans. There appeared to be seven humans in total: three female, four male, each in different rooms from best he could tell. Only two were active and moving. That made sense, as surely several of the hired help stayed on there full time and lived in the mansion.

Next, he pulled a tiny piece of blue paper from his pocket. It had been torn from the envelope of the last card Caterina sent him. He held it flat on one palm and tapped it gently with his wand.

"Return," he simply whispered to it.

The tiny paper lifted of its own accord and floated toward the mansion. It would lead him to the room Caterina was in. As he traced its journey with his wand, it went higher, rising to a second story window, sliding along the wall, down three more windows to the left before stopping between the last two. So was this her bedroom? No light shone out from the windows, but he wasn't about to take any chances. Several more spells showed the occupant of the room was lying down and breathing steadily, as if sleeping.

That was all he needed to know. Severus Apparated into the room, just to the left side of the last window. One of his spells showed it was a relatively empty corner, which would conceal him completely should the occupant not actually be sleeping. He knew he was being overly cautious. The spells he'd hid himself with would allow him to apparate into the center of a well-lit room and not be visible to the people within.

Severus remained still for several minutes, allowing his eyes to learn the layout of the room before venturing around in it. He knew immediately without looking it must be Caterina's room, because the strong scent of her sweet perfume hung all around him. Severus closed his eyes and inhaled it deeply. Then he listened. All he heard was the faint, steady breathing of Caterina. Slowly and cautiously, Severus stepped from his hiding place and peered around the corner.

There, several feet away from him, was a large bed and upon it laid Caterina. She laid on her right side, facing him, her cheek resting on her hand, while the other hand rested down across her stomach. Her curls were splayed all around her pillow and a few stray ones trickled down her neck and chest. The blankets were pushed down to just above her waist, showing him the top of her satiny nightgown. She looked glorious, like an angel resting peacefully. And she was alone.

He wandered around her room in complete stealth, although he wasn't sure what exactly he was looking for at first. There were three doors within her room. One led to the hallway, the second went into a spacious bathroom and the third must be to a closet, he summarized.

Severus was just exiting from exploring the bathroom, when she gave a small sigh and moved her position slightly in her sleep. He froze where he was for about a minute, making sure she continued to sleep. Then, entranced by watching her sleep, he edged closer to the bed. Soon he found himself almost standing directly over her. He'd never before thought that watching anyone sleep could be so mesmerizing. A strong urge that he'd fought off many times now, came back to him. He so desperately wanted to kiss her. "_Get out now_!" yelled his mind. But he stayed, just watching. He would remain in control.

She shifted her position, ever so slightly again and gave a small shiver this time. Was she cold? Her satin nightgown offered her arms no protection and they were not covered up at all. Without even thinking, he gently pulled at the top blanket and carefully nestled it up under her chin, covering her bare arms.

He gazed at her one last time before leaving. She looked so warm now. And soft - she was most definitely soft. He already found that out when he'd touched her hands and her back. Her cheek looked especially soft. Again, without thinking, he touched a finger to his own lips and then touched it against Caterina's cheek. It was so silky soft and smooth under his finger's touch, that he let it linger just a moment. A tiny sigh escaped her lips and it looked as if a smile were forming on them.

Severus knew it was time to leave. With one last wistful glance back at the sleeping beauty, he Disapparated. Once in his house, he removed the concealment spells and the Disillusionment charm from himself. As he soon pillowed his own head, his lips also wore their own smile. Not only had he found her alone in her bed, but there had not been a single trace of Jamison or his possessions anywhere in her room.

* * *

A/N: Oh the wonders of magic and the things you can achieve using it! Severus is getting pretty nosy and bold, isn't he? But now he knows that Jamison isn't more intimately connected to Caterina! :)

Thanks very much for reading! *hands out chocolate frogs to everyone* ;)


	10. A Meeting of Chance

**Chapter 10**

**A Meeting of Chance**

Early the next morning, as the first few streaming rays of sunlight came through her windows, Caterina awoke. She lay there, warm under her blanket and unmoving for several long moments, while a thought whirled and took formation within her mind. She had an odd sensation - the strangest feeling that somehow she knew Severus had returned home. Why on earth she felt so inclined toward that belief, she was unsure, but it was there, as a strong, solid awareness.

She gave a slight shiver, as tiny tingles of anticipation coursed through her body. It had been months since she'd last seen him, she was beginning to wonder if he'd ever come back. At times, she even wondered if perhaps, maybe she had somehow scared him away permanently. But he had to come back, he just had to, because she must fulfil her promise, made so long ago.

Caterina also became conscious of another fact. She'd made it through the entire night without a single nightmare. A first. That hadn't happened once, in the past few months. The sudden surge in her reoccurring nightmares was what prompted the removal of the old Clarkstone warehouse. Cat knew the nightly horrors were, in a way, tied to the building and what happened to her in there. It had been eight years ago, but the ghosts from then were intruding into the present more often in recent months. Caterina was pretty sure she also knew what triggered the start of it all, but she kept those thoughts at bay, forcing herself to focus only on the future.

She pondered several ideas at once, though. Was it because she had finally tried her best, to face some of those horrors from her past head on, by visiting the warehouse yesterday? Or was it because of him and how...? Caterina refused to allow herself to finish the thought. With a slight shudder, she threw off the uneasy feeling ready to pull her into its grasp and instead she launched herself out of bed, ready to start a new day.

After showering and grabbing breakfast, she found Jamison, busy at work in the library, next to the office. As she entered, he eyed her questioningly with a slight smile. Caterina knew his thoughts, as they were the same ones that she'd entertained herself, all of yesterday. The main thought being, that after her visit to the warehouse, it would bring excruciating torment to intensify her ongoing nightmares. Now studying his tired face, he appeared to not have experienced the same sort of peaceful sleep she had last night. He must have been waiting for it to seize her all night, she mused. And waiting to come to her rescue, to pull her out of them, as he'd done nightly for months now. It was something her mother could never deal with.

"Good morning, I hope. Have I become immune to your nightly screams or did you actually take something last night?" Jamsion's eyes looked hopeful.

She grimaced at him over the suggestion of medication. He'd suggested it once in the past and as much as she hated the night terrors and their recent alarming frequency, she never liked the idea of taking a pill to stop them. She felt it was an issue she must work out with herself and let her own mind deal with over time.

"You know better. Honestly, I slept quite peacefully last night. No bad dreams of any kind."

Jamison sighed in relief. "I'm glad to hear it. I'll admit I was really worried most of the night, waiting for something - expecting something to happen, after your visit yesterday."

"Well in truth, I was right there, worried with you, but it never came. While I can't say for sure that they're gone, I believe I'm getting a better grasp over it all, finally. Or at least I hope I am."

Jamison smiled at her, again with a look of relief washing over his face.

"Well, what are your plans for the rest of the week?"

"Oh, I don't know. Nothing too exciting. Might just wander around town and see what kind of trouble I can find." Caterina winked at him with a smirk.

"Your mother mentioned you possibly going along to the resort in Jamaica with her this weekend. That might be a nice change of scenery for you for a little while."

"I'd thought about it but I'm not sure I relish the idea of being in such a hot place at the end of June, well into July. We were talking about a few other resorts she got lined up for the fall, though. The Tahiti and Fiji trips are on my to-do list for sure."

Jamison rolled his eyes. "Why am I not surprised, that you're not going this time?"

"Seriously, Jamison! Just imagine being on vacation with your own mother and having to watch her flirt terribly with all those sexy, hot cabana boys, half her age, day after day... No one wants to see their parent... A person can only take so much of it..."

He held up his hands to stop her. "Ugh! Say no more Cat."

Caterina snickered. He certainly wouldn't question her or her choice to stay home now. She hadn't been keen on the idea of this particular trip but in all seriousness, two of the fall trips her mother had planned, Cat was definitely not going to miss out on. Although, it really was painfully embarrassing to watch her mother flirt with just about every man she met, when they vacationed together.

The honest truth was, Caterina didn't want to be away during the summer if there was the possibility of Severus coming home. And after waking with the strong sensation that he now was, she certainly was not about to miss any chance of seeing him again. She was determined to talk to him, whether he wanted her to or not. And as fate would have it, her wish was fulfilled in only a few days' time.

* * *

Early Friday afternoon Caterina set out by herself to do a bit of shopping. She had swiped Cook's list of things needed for the kitchen for the next week. Cat did this often and Cook always argued with her saying it wasn't something a 'pretty lil' gal like her should worry her pretty lil' head over.' She had a good feeling about today though and wanted the excuse to be out and about. Jamison was taking her mother to the airport in London and would be wrapped up with her all day. So he wouldn't be around to insist on Cat having an escort. Though he always meant well by sending her with a driver or even tagging along himself, it annoyed her beyond belief at times. She was twenty-five years old, not twelve.

Once she arrived in the shopping district, Cat found herself in the mood to browse for a while and not to buy. For several hours, she wandered almost aimlessly from shop to shop, never seeming to make it to the grocery with Cook's list. As she was about to exit an oddly peculiar, yet quaint, little bookstore, she noticed the fading light outside. She looked down to check her watch, and stepped right into something rather solid - another person, dressed in black.

"Goodness! I'm sorry! Please excuse - "

Caterina suddenly recognized the body she'd slammed right into as she looked up into the piercing black eyes of Severus Snape. He actually looked amused by her, standing there, all befuddled over what she had just done.

"Severus! I'm so sorry about that, I wasn't watching..." Caterina stumbled slightly over her words.

A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I see that. I'm a little more solid than you, though. Are you alright?"

Her eyes flicked up to search his. It sounded as if there was actual concern for her well-being in his voice. His black eyes were staring intently down on her as he stood there unmoved, and they were touched with a certain warmth. It brought back the memory of that day in the studio, when he'd caught her in his arms... Her mind was slowly dancing into a slight fog of wistful reverie.

"Caterina? Are you alright?" he asked, a little more forcefully this time.

"Oh. Yes, I am. You're solid yes, but not quite like the door would have been."

"That's twice now. Do you normally wander into such inanimate objects on a regular basis?" Severus asked sternly.

She couldn't help but give a small giggle as she saw his raised eyebrow. He'd remembered as well.

"Generally no, I don't." Caterina let out a charming laugh. "But it's a good thing you happen to show up to stop me when I do."

"Yes. I suppose it is."

She smiled charmingly up at him as her mind raced for an idea. How could she extend this unexpected meeting? 'Keep talking to him' yelled her mind, as ideas flooded through it, each becoming crazier than the one before it. Finally, she settled on the one that seemed the safest course of action and hoped to heavens that he would be agreeable to it.

"So, I assume school is out for the summer?" Caterina chanced asking.

"Yes," he answered flatly.

"Did you get my note?"

Sverus shifted minutely on his feet. "Yes, thank you. Both of them."

Wow. He was being pleasant and he was thanking her for both of the notes? She quickly searched around, thinking she might spy Mr. Dumbledore tucked away into a dark corner.

"Good. I hope the dismantling of the warehouse doesn't become too disturbing for you."

"I'm sure it won't. Although, I must say, it took me somewhat by surprise. Seems like there are many empty buildings around town that just sit. Why go to the trouble and expense of tearing it down?" Severus hoped he didn't sound overly interested in finding any futher information to explain what he'd witnessed.

Unbelievable again, Caterina mused to herself. That was probably the longest speech he'd ever made to her and she was realizing that he had a wonderfully dark and velvety voice. It was soft and quiet in a way and the sort of voice that one could easily drift off to sleep listening to.

Caterina looked down and wasn't sure how best to answer him though. She gave a heavy sigh. Was it possible that he didn't know about what had happened to her? Yes, it was very possible, as he seemed to be out of the loop about everything in general to do with her family. And after all, he did spend most of the year away, teaching at that private school. She looked back up into his black eyes; this time her lips held no smile, only the seriousness of what had happened. She was not eager to retell it but if it kept him there, she would find the courage to do so.

"Well, it's kind of a long story," she said as she shifted her eyes around the shop. The ancient looking shop keeper was listening intently from his chair at the register. "And, well this really isn't the place for it... I don't want to keep you from anything but, if you wanted, we could maybe grab a coffee or something at that little pastry place the next street over and I'll tell you about it."

Caterina watched him carefully, fully expecting him to dismiss her offer with the infamous phrase, "_P__erhaps__ another time"_ or something along those lines. His black eyes held her blue eyes captive while she awaited his decision...

* * *

A/N:What do you think Severus will decide? If he were _smart, _we all know what he should choose! XD

We made it to chapter 10! Yay! Thank you for all the encouragement and the sweet comments! I appreciate it! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)


	11. My Hand's Longing to Touch Yours

**Chapter 11**

**My Hand's Longing to Touch Yours**

Severus spent the days after his night-time visit to Caterina's bedroom, fighting off the urge to make it part of his nightly routine. What the devil was wrong with him? He was Severus Snape, a supposed heartless Death Eater turned into long-time, trusted spy for Dumbledore. He was the Potions Master at Hogwarts where he demanded respect from everyone, though he gave little in return. He held himself together in a cool, calm and collected manner at all times, and showed no emotions except for when provoked to do so by his seemingly brainless students. Then he would be as rude, harsh and as condescending as possible in his judgements and punishments and he prided himself on his ever-ready sarcasm, spiteful anger, and quick wit at achieving revenge.

He was not an erratic person, prone to give into his feelings on anything, least not on the slightest whim of a woman, a muggle woman, like some crazed lunatic and stalker. He simply did not understand these strange and new feelings that now coursed through his veins at the mere thought of her. Why did this muggle woman drive him to utter distraction? Why did he long to be near her intoxicating scent and to hear her soft voice? What was this tiny flicker he felt in his chest when he saw her beautiful face, when she spoke to him, when he thought about the possibility of her being in any danger? What was this gut-wrenching stabbing he felt within his chest when he thought of her with anyone else? He tried but he couldn't really name them. They were sensations totally foreign to him.

The closest feelings he could relate them with, were his feelings of friendship, care and concern that he'd had for Lily. Other then Dumbledore, Severus considered her to have been his closest friend ever and even she did not ever really understand or know all the true facets that made up his dark, brooding character.

While he had determined himself to get better acquainted with Caterina, he knew he would have to try and be friendly, in a way that he was not accustomed to being. Severus also knew in the very back of his mind, that he would have to tow a firm line of control around her and never dare cross it. Severus did understand one feeling that he _never_ wanted to feel in relation to Caterina. He'd felt it so swiftly and ardently from Lily - rejection. He would take great care not to experience that feeling again if ever possible.

* * *

Late Friday afternoon, Severus received notice that an out of print magical book he'd been inquiring about, had been passed onto a local bookshop in his town. It would be available to him as soon as he saw fit to claim it. He was quite familiar with the shop, as it was run by a very old gentleman, who happened to be a Squib that dealt happily with both Muggle and Magical patrons.

Severus decided to retrieve the book that very evening, hoping to find it at least a short distraction from Caterina. He grabbed a handful of wizarding coins and a few Muggle pounds that he kept on hand for when he ventured out around his hometown. He Disapparated directly from his living room, into a small, hidden alcove, just outside the bookstore's enterance. It had been placed there to shield wizards from view of muggle sight as they came and went, when they called upon the odd, little bookstore owner.

As Severus reached out to turn the worn knob and open the door, a much shorter and smaller person to step right into him. He held himself solid against the collision from the careless person. Apparently, that person wasn't watching where they were going by any means, or they would have stepped right into the door, had he not opened it.

He was fighting back a snarl and a vicious glare for the offending person, when suddenly he realized it was Caterina herself. Honestly, what were the chances of this happening, here and now?

She stumbled slightly against his solid stance and grabbed at the doorframe to keep herself steady. She uttered a sweet apology as she was righting herself. But it broke off as she gazed up at him, and recognition swept across her sweet face. He couldn't help but smile and think back upon what had happened the last time she literally ran into him.

Severus asked Caterina if she was alright but she just stood there with a far-off distant look on her face. Was she confused? She seemed oddly out of sorts. He hoped his unyielding movement had not hurt her in anyway. For he would have gladly caught her in his arms had he somehow known she was the offending person. Receiving no answer, he inquired again, with a slightly firmer and more demanding tone. She came around finally and they conversed quite pleasantly for several minutes.

When he questioned her about the warehouse, he noticed her face lost its usual smile and took a rather sad, almost tragic look. He was desperate to learn what had happened there. Severus could feel the eyes of the owner all but boring holes into them. He guessed it was a rarity for the old man to see a wizard interacting with a Muggle, even if he serviced both worlds in his shop. He didn't care though; he'd hex the squib into next week if he dared to interrupt them now. Caterina had dropped her eyes and paused before answering his inquiry.

"Well, it's kind of a long story, and, well this really isn't the place for it... I don't want to keep you from anything, but if you wanted, we could maybe grab a coffee or something at that little pastry place the next street over and I'll tell you about it."

Severus' black eyes glinted deeply into her vibrant blue eyes for a long moment. He knew his answer the moment she posed the question; he just had to reinforce his stern control.

"That would be agreeable," Severus accepted in a quiet tone.

Caterina stared back at him as if she had not heard him clearly, then slowly, she gave him a small, quizzical smile, as if she were surprised by his answer, yet happy over it. Since he was still practically in the doorway, he opened the door and motioned in the best gentlemanly way that he knew how, for her to exit first. Severus gave a curt nod at the old man and turned his attentions fully back onto Caterina, who threw him a winning smile. He closed his dark eyes briefly, as he inhaled her wonderful scent when she passed closely between him and the doorframe.

Severus inhaled again, deeper still. Something was slightly different about it. In some ways, it was the same subtle scent Caterina always wore but now it was as if the top notes and base notes of it were changed and rearranged somehow, causing it to become almost hypnotic in the way it reached out at him. Instead of the stronger amber scent mixed with a spicy sweetness, it was more almond-like with a touch of jasmine and a hint of musky vanilla underneath it all. Whatever it was, Caterina smelled absolutely divine, and at the same time completely intoxicating to him.

Upon exiting, he walked closely by her side as darkness was fast approaching and he was concerned for her safety. She seemed at complete ease by his closeness. It wasn't until they were on their way that he stopped to take notice of what she was wearing. Another pair of those curve-hugging Muggle jeans, a cream-colored shirt that seemed to scoop dangerously low for him and a thin, but long chocolate-colored knit cardigan that hung loosely open around her chest as well as around her wrists and was tied shut, around her waist. Her long, curly hair was free-flowing, as usual. No matter what Caterina wore, she always looked stunning and this outfit was no exception.

Severus realized he'd begun to take careful note of everything he'd seen Caterina in. This disturbed him, because after years of teaching daily with the same professors at Hogwarts, he could not picture one single item of what any of them wore, save the standard wizarding cloak and occasional hat of some sort. Yet, he could probably describe in great detail each thing he'd seen Caterina wearing.

It was a short walk and it brought them almost up to the riverfront area, which mostly held a variety of muggle food establishments. He'd never really taken notice to this part of town as he never dined away from his house. He quickly read the names of each place, hoping to decipher which one she had in mind. Almost at the end, and tucked away behind a large café of some sort, there stood a small bakery, called _La Dolce Vita_. It appeared busy but quiet, with small tables set up inside as well as outside, along the waterfront. There were little twinkling lights around some of the trees and bushes, and on each table sat lit candles.

Romantic was the only word for it. It was the kind of place that Severus would normally detest and consider vilely offensive, had he happened upon it himself or glimpsed anyone that he knew there. But oddly enough, he found it the perfect place to be with his present company.

Despite the crowd, there was little wait and both ordered rather quickly, though ironically neither of them ordered coffee. Caterina selected a dark, hot chocolate with whipped cream and Severus went with a simple tea. He had his wits about him, enough to know that it would also be very gentlemanly of him to pay for both of them and he was glad to have grabbed the Muggle cash before he'd left. She tried to sweetly protest, saying it was her suggestion after all, but he gave her a solid stare that firmly told her his mind was closed on the matter.

"Do you have a preference, inside or out?" he asked her, hoping it would be the latter choice. Not only to get away from the crowd to better enjoy her company without the distractions of others but also because he had a feeling she might appreciate the privacy. The inside of the bakery was packed, while only a few couples sat scattered among the outside tables.

Her blue eyes quickly swept around the inside, before she sighed serenely. "Definitely outside."

They made their way outside and down to the very last little table. Again, Severus seemed to instinctively realize that the proper thing to do would be to pull her chair out for her before sitting himself. Severus could have sworn that this action made Caterina blush sweetly; if only the lighting were better, he would have known for sure. And as eager as he was to find out her story, he realized he would be just as happy to sit quietly by her all night, while enjoying the soft glow of lights that sparkled and twinkled so beautifully around her, as the gentle breeze off the water caused the hanging lights to sway. It was an inviting and peaceful night, not too cool and not too hot and the setting was perfect.

Caterina seemed to be watching him intently now and he realized he was staring at her quite freely. He shifted his black eyes quickly to his tea and took a sip. She let out another tiny sigh.

"So, how long have you been teaching at that school, Hogwarts, right?" Caterina asked, taking him by surprise.

"About twelve years."

Caterina appeared impressed. "Have you always returned home for the summer breaks?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Sorry - I don't mean to intrude on your privacy, I'm just trying to figure out what you may or may not already know." Caterina said quickly, in an apologetic tone. "A lot of what happened made the papers and the local news, considering the family business and all, so I wasn't sure if you'd ever come across it before."

Dammit, Severus thought. Why didn't he think of searching through the papers? There was a local Muggle library not far from him. And if memory served him right, they usually kept years' worth of those things around in some fashion or another. Not that he didn't fully enjoy spending the time with Caterina and hearing it directly from her. He would not interrupt again like that again. Severus would let her go at her own pace.

"I can assure you I have never read or saw anything of it. I have no use in getting the newspaper, when I spend most of the year away from here. Yes, there have been a number of summers where I returned only for a week or two at most. So it would seem, you may safely assume, that I know nothing."

A tiny voice in the back of his head added, "_except for what I've learned through spying and eavesdropping."_

"Ok." Caterina leaned in toward him and rested her elbows on the small metal table, holding her hot chocolate between her hands.

Taking a deep fortifying breath, Caterina fiddled about with the top of her cup. "Well, you do know about my father and Drew, both..."

She didn't finish the sentence but he nodded at her so that she didn't have to, knowing they were both dead now. It was suddenly dawning on him, just how very uncomfortable this must be for her and he almost chided himself for agreeing to hear it out like this.

"And you know about the ballet performance I was in... so... I guess just before that would be the best place to start."

Severus listened very attentively while she told him of the employees who had plotted against the company, and how her father took it so hard. She spoke briefly about Drew and his rebellious streak that he got under control just before the car wreck that took his life. He started to feel an ache of sadness for her over what she had experienced in her short, young life.

"Then about two years after Drew's death, ummm... when I was eighteen, I was kidnapped."

Pausing, Caterina took a small sip of her hot chocolate while Severus' mind reeled in horror at this. He knew something awful had happened to her. But he kept telling himself he'd heard wrong and that she'd been involved in an accident of sorts, not from anyone physically causing her harm on purpose.

"What?" he almost hissed at her.

"By two men who worked for the company. I was helping a friend out one evening at a ballet recital for primary school girls and I was one of the last to leave afterwards. As I went to my car, they grabbed me from behind and used chloroform to knock me out. I awoke hours later, tied to a chair in some little room that was part of an old abandoned building. It just happened -"

"To be the one beside my house," Severus finished for her in a sharp tone of disgust.

She nodded and he closed his eyes, as his mind flew back to what the spells revealed to him the other night in that same room.

"They figured no one would think to look for me so close to home. For a while, I could hear them talking about their plans... They'd sent a ransom note to my parents, demanding twenty million pounds within forty-eight hours for my safe return, as I was the only child left. They also sent along several of my curls and pieces of my clothes that they'd cut off, as proof." Caterina shuddered involuntarily as if cold but Severus knew that was not the reason.

"When they realized I'd woken up, they gagged me so I wouldn't try to scream. They tried to convince me that I was being held somewhere halfway across the country but I knew where I was, and that it was the old company warehouse. Drew and I spent hours playing games in there when we were little, as they were slowly moving the stuff out into the new larger warehouse across town. I knew it well. They really weren't the smartest but they were certainly evil enough."

Caterina paused again, and looked off toward the river. Severus knew there was absolutely nothing he could do now, but he desperately fought off the strongest urge to draw out his wand and violently curse objects into destruction over the anger he felt against what had happened to her. Instead, he interlocked his fingers as tightly as he could and rested them on top of the table.

"My dad was more than willing to pay the entire amount, and more, but once the police and investigators got involved, things got messier. The one man was not very patient. He didn't like the idea of waiting even forty-eight hours to get his hands on that much money and well, he decided to take out his frustrations... on me - using... well, he really... had a thing for umm... knives... and so...he..."

Severus' heart pounded in his throat, as he was sure she was going to say the beast had raped her. He searched out Caterina's eyes and found them filling with tears. She gave him a tiny half smile, as one of her hands subconsciously gestured along the lower right side of her stomach.

"He, umm, liked to carve things... and decided to use me - my stomach to a ... well anyway, he ummm, stabbed me several times and punctured my lower lung in two places... and left a lot of scars."

Severus felt terrible now, at having had her go through the ordeal of telling him what had happened. He watched her carefully. Caterina's blue eyes dropped down to her cup and, though she was silent, he could easily see tears sliding down both of her cheeks. He didn't care about anything else in that moment, as he reached over swiftly and gently wiped them both away with his fingers. She looked up at him, giving a small smile of thanks. Without thinking, he then let his hand drop down onto her hands that lay interlaced and resting over the top of her cup.

He struggled to find words, any words at all, to say to her. Severus was not in any way accustomed to comforting and consoling others. When it came to his students, he often mocked them for showing the weakness of tears. Now he was discovering, it might not be a weakness of character, as he'd always thought. He still didn't know Caterina very well, but he certainly didn't consider her a weak person anymore, as he had when they were children. She had gone through sheer hell, and yet, somehow managed to keep an enchanting smile on her face while remaining truly pleasant and good-natured to those around her. He didn't deserve to be her friend.

"I am sorry, Caterina, I had no idea..." he started to say slowly.

Caterina withdrew one of her hands from under his and lightly clasped it over the top of his own.

"It's ok, really, Severus. I'm sorry, I probably should have warned you about the waterworks in advance, so you could have easily opted out - "

"No, I would not have done such."

He spoke firmly and gave her hand a tight squeeze before slowly pulling it from out of her warm grasp. It wasn't what he wanted to do, but at that moment he became aware that the lights were starting to go out. Severus stood and motioned around them. The outside area was all but deserted now, as it was just after ten o'clock. He didn't want his time with her to end so abruptly. His mind searched for a way to make it continue. The least he could do was see her safely home. He wouldn't push her though.

"I believe we've outstayed our welcome. Would you care to walk along the river or are you needing to get home?"

"That sounds nice, actually. Let me just send Jamison a message so he doesn't send out the armed guards, looking for me. Oh dear, is it really that time already? Good heavens, he probably already has, in fact."

Caterina reached in her small, brown shoulder bag and pulled out what he recognized as a small mobile phone. She hit several buttons on it, like she was tapping out something and then snapped it shut and popped it back into her bag.

"There, all set."

When Caterina turned to look up at him with that beautiful smile of hers, he couldn't help but give one of his rare smiles right back to her. Her tears were gone and, even in the darkness, her vivid blue eyes twinkled merrily up at him now. They walked side by side, in silence for a few minutes before she spoke again.

Clearly her throat, Caterina spoke softly. "I think I've got myself under control if you're interested in hearing the rest."

"I'd like to know but only if you're comfortable in telling me, Caterina. I realize this must be difficult for you to talk about."

"Usually, I'm ok about this, it's been eight years now, but this week has been harder for me, I guess. With the start of tearing down the building, I think it's made me a little more sensitive at the moment."

"That is understandable," Severus agreed.

"They kept me in that room for almost three days. The men were fighting and getting violent with each other as well since nothing was going according to their plan. And then a miracle happened. There was a random fire, due to some faulty wiring in one of the room's electrical boxes, and since they had the room littered with all sorts of stuff, it quickly spread around. They both fled, I think, expecting me to die in the fire, enabling them to get away with it all. For a while, I honestly thought for sure I was going to die as well. I couldn't really move because I'd well... I'd lost a lot of blood, the pain was excruciating... but they'd removed the gag and so I screamed and screamed like mad, praying someone outside would hear or see the smoke before it was too late -"

"And someone must have or I wouldn't have the pleasure of walking along with you right now," Severus finished for her.

It was almost out before he knew he'd said it. Caterina didn't seem taken aback by it at all. She did slow her walking and seemed to be surveying his face in the light of the street lamps that lined the road along the river's path. She smiled up at him and surprised him by looping her arm through his as they walked along. He certainly was not about to object to this.

"Yes, someone did, an old woman, in fact. She was passing through the alleyway and heard my screams. And she'd seen men running from the building so she bravely came in search of who was screaming. Somehow she managed to get me dragged out of the room, before the fire moved into the corner I was in. The odd thing was, that she disappeared before anyone could thank her. I wanted to track her down myself but I spent the next eight months or so in and out of the hospital recovering from a couple of cracked ribs and a broken arm. Not to mention several surgeries to repair the damage to my lung and skin grafts for all the knife scars."

She finished in an almost rushed way, as if she were eager to be done with telling him. Then Caterina sighed deeply, and looking up at him, gave a little shiver. He stopped and stared down at her again, his mind a complete frenzy of unnamed feelings, emotions and desires. Severus knew better than to act on any one of them, but oh, how he longed to do so. Severus went with the safest option that seemed to have worked before. Carefully he reached down and interlocked his long fingers with hers, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"I'm pretty sure I can fill in the rest of the details now, as to why it's so important to remove the building."

She grinned at him and nodded. They continued walking again, hands still entwined as Severus guided her across a small bridge that went away from the path of the river, over to a pavement, and along the main road that ran up to Clarkstone Mansion. They weren't exactly close to the house, but still he slowed his pace to prolong their time together even more.

"Yes. And as I said in my note to you, it had been a long time coming. It just kept getting put off. But a few months ago, for some reason, I really started having a lot of nightmares again - almost nightly - from the whole ordeal," Caterina told him.

"That made it become the top priority?"

"Yes, I've had them off and on over the past few years but they seemed to have returned with a vengeance recently, so Jamison hoped getting rid of the building might help."

"Do you think it will?" Severus asked, feeling somewhat concerned for her well-being.

"I can't say for sure yet, but it seems like it's starting to. I went through the building one last time on Monday. Jamison was terrified for me to do that, and frankly, so was I, but I just felt like I needed to do it, you know. Though I was afraid I wouldn't be able to sleep for months after that -"

"And what happened?"

"Well, Monday night, I actually had my first peaceful night's sleep in a long while - no nightmares at all. I know it probably sounds silly, but it kind of felt like someone was watching over me and keeping the bad dreams away. The rest of the nights haven't been as dreamless but the terrors seem to be lessening."

Severus felt the little flame in his heart surge at hearing this. He had been there Monday night, and had watched over her for quite a while. Did she somehow know or had she sensed him? No, that wasn't possible, was it? But he couldn't help but gaze into her eyes for a long moment, wondering.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck bristled as his senses told him someone was coming toward them on the pavement. Severus dropped Caterina's hand and slid his arm around her, just above the waist, drawing her closer to him, in a very protective stance. She must have looked questioningly up at him, over his sudden action but he forced himself to stare straight ahead, watchfully. He kept his other hand ready to quickly grab his wand if necessary. Caterina drew a sharp intake of breath as she must have spotted the approaching person herself. With that, it almost seemed as if she tried to snuggle in a little bit closer to his side.

As they were about to converge, it appeared to be only a young teenage boy. Severus still kept himself defensively positioned between Caterina and the stranger. Then he checked over his shoulder several times after they passed. It wasn't until he caught the boy hurriedly crossing the street and continuing in the opposite direction, that he finally looked back down at Caterina. She was eyeing him with a wide, appreciative smile. Severus wasn't sure if he should remove his arm now, but after decided that Caterina appeared content with it there, he let it stay.

Far too soon, they came into view of the mansion. They continued without speaking, but both a bit slower. When they were climbing the porch steps, it was Caterina who spoke first, looking up at him with that sweet smile he so enjoyed seeing.

"Maybe, we could do this again sometime?" she suggested sweetly in a hopeful sounding voice.

Severus couldn't help but smile down at her as he nodded, "Yes, that would be nice."

A thought then struck him. "Caterina - you didn't walk into town today, did you?"

She clapped her hand over her mouth, gave a small shriek and started giggling. "My car! I completely forgot about it. Oh no, Jamison can have our driver fetch it tomorrow for me."

Severus looked amused, as he grinned back at her, secretly pleased. She must have really enjoyed herself to have let him walk her all the way home, abandoning her car. She was still chuckling as she fished her keys out of her purse and ascended the last few steps toward the door. Severus followed. He'd make sure she was safely inside before departing. Caterina unlocked the door, gave it a tiny shove open and turned back to face him.

"I guess this is good night and until next time, then Severus."

"Yes. Until next time. And Caterina - pleasant dreams tonight."

Severus was entirely unprepared for what she did next. Caterina stepped forward, clasped her hand to his cheek, and stretched up on her toes to place the sweetest of kisses just to the left of his bottom lip, lingering slightly.

As she pulled away, she dropped her hand down to his chest. "Thank you, Severus, for the lovely evening."

With one last angelic smile for him, she turned and entered the house, softly shutting the door behind her. Severus stood frozen, mind whirling and completely speechless. She had just kissed _him_. If he didn't pull himself together, he was going to stand there all night, rooted to the spot, in awe. He slowly forced himself to turn and walk away. As he did, he reached up with his fingers to touch the place where her soft, warm lips had just been. No woman had ever willingly kissed him before and a new and completely amazing feeling surged through his whole body. He did not want it to cease.

Severus ended up walking all the way back to his house. He could have easily Apparated but somehow it felt like he'd lose hold of the wonderfully hypnotic effects from the entire evening, all too quickly, and he wanted to bask in them for as long as possible.

* * *

A/N: Whew, bit of a longer chapter! Everybody happy that he agreed to go for coffee? :) I do hope nobody was disappointed that there was no real coffee consumption, though! LOL! But he went _and_ he paid! Good thinking on his part, huh? And he pulled out her chair, wiped her tears, acted protectively, held her hand and walked her all the way home. How's he doing? He's slowly trying to figure it all out, he really is! And she gave him a sweet little kiss! Oh-la-la! she's desperately trying to be helpful! :D

Oh and the little cafe, _La Dolce Vita_ = The Sweet Life

Thanks as always for reading and for the thoughtful reviews and comments! Until next time... Snapey smooches to you all! :)


	12. A Midsummer Night's Dream Come True

**Chapter 12**

**A Midsummer Night's Dream Come True**

Night blanketed the world around him. He wandered alone, and aimlessly, along the deserted backstreets and alleyways of Mill Town, as he had done nightly, for more than a week now, his mind going over everything and at the same time, nothing. No matter how he tried to distract and focus himself, Severus just kept coming back to the same thought - that of seeing Caterina. It wasn't really late yet, and she'd told him to stop by at anytime, on several occasions. And though it was not in his nature to act impulsively, more than anything else in the world at the moment, he wanted desperately to see her again. To be near her. But, what if Caterina didn't feel the same? He shoved his fears and doubts aside.

When he arrived at the mansion a short time later, he found the front door slightly ajar. Just inside stood the housekeeper fiddling around with several delivery boxes.

The woman jumped slightly and gasped as she caught sight of Severus. "Oh goodness me! Thought I heard someone out there. Do come right in, Mr. Snape! She's back in the dance studio. I'm sure you remember the way."

He nodded and strode on past her, heading toward the back hall and very grateful that the housekeeper wasn't the sort to ask questions. This might work out perfectly, after all. He knew he should really be worrying about what he would say to explain his rather late visit but he let it go. She would not be angry to see him, of that he was sure. He paused a moment outside the studio door, as his eyes caught the flicker of lights in the window. The main lights were dimmed very low and a long row of large, assorted candles were lit all along the far, mirrored wall. The shimmering, soft glow of lights dancing around in the darkness was very reminiscent of the romantic atmosphere from the little pastry shop where they'd talked, only a little over a week ago.

Caterina moved elegantly and slowly, dressed in black, and looking every bit as beautiful as ever. He hoped to surprise her again, so he opened the door with the greatest of ease, careful not to make any sudden movements or noise. Severus quietly slipped in and paused in the dim, shadowy lighting. Good. She hadn't appeared to have heard or seen him. A light, melodious instrumental piece was playing and she moved in sync with it, her eyes closed. So graceful, so gorgeous she was, and he wanted her. He'd known that for a long time now, but had fought against it so, because he'd never wanted any woman in his life, like the way he wanted Caterina. And that thought actually scared him, like nothing else ever had before.

Severus was soon within reach of her. As he gently grabbed her waist between his strong, sturdy grasp, her eyes flew open and she gasped. A radiant smile immediately overtook her lips. Once again, their bodies were intimately close. Their eyes regarded each other's for a few seconds, when at last, Caterina grabbed at the top of his black buttoned coat with both of her hands. She pulled herself tighter, up against him, her eyes sparkling excitedly in what he could only read as anticipation. Though neither one spoke, he took her action as an open invitation to finally achieve what he had so longed for. Gingerly, his steady hands trailed up from her waist, pressing lightly against her firm, lovely curves, to hold her sweet face between them. She stretched up on her toes, closed her eyes and slightly parted her lips, expectantly.

Severus leaned down and swiftly covered her waiting lips with his. Soon they were tasting and capturing each other's mouths in fervent vigor. It was like savoring an exotic form of delicious, yet fiery aphrodisiac. Her hands clutched handfuls of his black hair while his hands slowly trailed back down her body to squeeze her plump, round bottom tightly with his long fingers. At that, she tilted her head back, breaking their long, impassioned kiss, to moan softly and quite sensually. He smirked appreciatively at that lovely sound and raised an eyebrow at her. Her finger went to silence his lips before he even formed the question on them.

"You want me, don't you?" she asked seductively, in a soft whisper.

"Is it that obvious?" he murmured low in her ear, careful not to break the captive gaze he held her in.

Closely, he watched her face to see her reaction to this honest admission. Her eyes were gleaming like bright, fiery azure stars back into his.

"Yes, it is. Would it surprise you to know, that I want you too?"

His mind froze at this declaration and tried to wrap itself around what she had just said, along with its meaning. Had he heard her right? She wanted _him_ - Severus Snape? Severus' eyes widened in understanding and comprehension. Caterina smiled bewitchingly up at him and, taking his hand, she led him over to a small recessed corner of the room that he'd never noticed before. There sat a large, black suede couch. His once, tightly-controlled mind started to slip as his thoughts spun off into a multitude of questions, the strongest being - did she want him to take her right there, on that couch? Now? Right _now_? He searched her deep blue eyes eagerly for answers. Of course she did!

A smile of extreme gratification replaced the huge feeling of shock he'd just felt but had tried diligently to suppress from exposing on his face. He surveyed the couch, then looked back to Caterina and held out his hand to her. But instead, she reached up and started unbuttoning his thin, black frockcoat.

Severus chuckled at her impetuous action and highly welcomed it. With that, he bent to taste her delicious mouth again while her hands stayed busy, working their way down his many buttons. He let his own hands finally have free roam all over her stunning body. Severus was hungry. Hungry for her and, instantly, he knew that she was the only one who could ever completely and fully satisfy him.

Almost, before he realized it, they were both naked, their warm bodies pressed firmly together against each other, tasting and devouring each other's sweet mouths. Oh, it was easily the most amazing feeling in the world to have her glorious, naked body touching against his! And soon, she was completely wrapped up in his arms, and they were lying together on the soft, inviting suede couch. His mind had dissolved and melted into an ocean of lustful urges and wanton cravings. And from the amorous glow in her eyes, he could tell she felt all of those same urges and cravings. Severus knew it was about to be the night of his life and he fiercely hoped it would be for her as well.

Caterina pulled away from their deep, impassioned kiss and clasped her small, warm hands against his cheeks. She stared deeply into his glistening black eyes and whispered in a soft, yet somewhat shaky voice, "Make me scream, Severus."

And he did just as she asked him to, over and over, bringing them both to the utmost pleasurable pinnacle of ecstasy. Severus had never heard anything as wondrous to his ears as her delighted screams and cries. Oh, how he made her scream, out of sheer joy and total satisfaction. Never before this, had he dared to dream or imagine anything so divinely thrilling, in the whole of his long, lonely life! But suddenly, in the midst of his own ultimate pleasure, he felt a sharp, burning pain on the top of his right hand. Was she biting him, in her enraptured state? He pushed it aside and ignored it, lost in fulfilling his deepest, most pent-up desires with Caterina. Soon, it was back again and this time he became consciously aware of the warm, trickling sensation of a liquid, now falling across his hand.

He eyes flew open and his mouth dropped in utter amazement. He struggled hard to focus on the sight that met his confused eyes. At that very moment, standing on his arm was a rather indignant looking delivery owl, hooting and biting fiercely at his hand. What in the bloody hell was happening?

Severus was almost paralyzed with shock and at the same time in total disbelief, as he attempted to sit up, only to quickly comprehend that he was in his own bed, alone. Alone, like always. No beautiful, naked Caterina wrapped around his body. It had only been a dream. The most vividly real dream he'd ever had. And one that was quickly slipping away from him. He should have realized it, he should have known better. It had been way too unbelievably amazing to be true - that Caterina would ever want him in that way, it was not possible. _Ever_. Severus groped about in the growing daybreak to find his wand, and, without a word, the owl hit the floor, dead.

* * *

**A/N: ** Awww... Poor, little unsuspecting owl, just doing his job... :(

Aaaahem! Now seriously, get a hold of yourselves! Did you really think it was going to be _that_ easy? Come on now! But have no fear, and just a bit more patience, please. Good things, _really good things_ come to those who wait, you know! I should know - I've already, ummm... written that chapter! *Snicker, Snicker* The only thing I have to say is - You've got to be able to _dream_ it before you can actually _live_ it! Right? :D

This extra special chapter is especially dedicated to a couple of my faithfully sweet readers - you know who you are! Hope you all enjoyed! ;)


	13. Interference

**Chapter 13**

**Interference**

As Caterina quietly closed the door behind her, she couldn't help but grin as widely as possible. She had just given Severus Snape a kiss! And though he had been uncommonly kind and very sweet at times in his gestures toward her during their evening together, would he now think she had stepped over the line? Would he be angry with her? And would his coldness toward her return? After Caterina had pulled away from him, her mind was just too frazzled to clearly take in the look upon his countenance.

Quickly turning away, Caterina hurried into the house, desperately trying to avoid looking directly into his eyes, for fear of seeing his irritation with her. But then she dropped her purse and keys, sprinting to the formal living room to peek out a heavily curtained window. Caterina was hoping to catch one last glimpse of Severus before he completely retreated.

Caterina paused, closed her eyes for a moment, and took a deep, calming gulp of air before drawing one of the curtains aside imperceptibly. Severus hadn't appeared to have moved from the spot where she'd left him. How odd, she thought. Thanks to the porch lights, as well as those that lined the drive, she could clearly see his face. It held an obvious cross between shock and disbelief upon it.

Well, at least he didn't look angry, but she still wondered if it had been the best move on her part. Then unexpectedly, she witnessed Severus display a most tender gesture - he reached up and touched his long fingers to where she'd kissed him. His eyes closed momentarily as something unreadable passed across his face. Could it be that he had actually enjoyed her kiss? Contemplating what he could be thinking, Caterina continued to observe him, as he gradually turned and slowly headed away.

She had done it purely without thinking, yet she wasn't entirely sure of her own motivations either. Caterina had wanted to jump up and kiss him from the moment he'd wiped her tears away. Was it to thank him for the endearing act of kindness, finally, after years of his coldness or did it run into deeper feelings than that? Or was she simply getting herself more emotionally involved, due to the promise she was attempting to fulfil? No, there was more to it. She knew she felt drawn to him, in a way that went well above what she had been asked to do. But why? Caterina definitely needed time to contemplate it all.

There came a tiny, unexpected noise from behind and it startled her. She whirled around, ending up almost face to face with Jamison's chest. He stood there, holding a highly amused look on his face as he surveyed her. She braced herself and thought, "_Oh no, here it comes_."

"Out with a friend, eh? Well I'm guessing you've seen him a few more times than you've let on, if he's now considered a friend?"

"Oh, Jamison, please..."

Jamison sighed. "Caterina, I'm not mad, just a bit surprised in your choice to spend an evening with him, of all people. Not that I'm complaining though." He threw up his hands as if to stop her from protesting.

"Don't get me wrong, Cat, I'm actually happy you're spending time with someone and not wandering around, all alone like you do so much. Let me just caution you on this one thing. And don't worry Caterina, I'm not going to continually lecture you on this either, but please, please take care when around him. Your father and his had multiple run-ins back in the day and they were never of an amiable nature. I admit, I know Severus next to nothing, but if there's the slightest chance he's remotely like his own father – the man was unstable, violent and very ruthless..."

Caterina's gaze softened. "Trust me, Severus is not like that at all. While, admittedly, he is somewhat aloof and seemingly a bit on the brooding side at first, he's actually quite agreeable, once you get past that all."

Jamison inhaled deeply. "I certainly hope you're right."

Silently, she hoped so, as well.

Over the next two weeks, Jamison couldn't help but notice how much happier Caterina acted. At times, she seemed to almost be glowing. If this was all it took - a nice evening out with a guy! Usually, he never interfered in matters such as this, but he couldn't help to formulate a little plan of his own, to give her a small boost in the right direction.

In truth, Cat's good mood did have everything to do with her growing and preoccupied thoughts on Severus. This time they were pleasant and happy thoughts, quite unlike last fall after he'd left so coldly and abruptly. Now it seemed as if they really were going to be able to become friends. Maybe they already were? He seemed to truly care about her and even her safety when they were together. And dare she think it - but was there the possibly of a hint of, someday, maybe something more? She definitely felt a strong chemistry between them - the times they were close to each other and, most certainly, when they touched, even briefly. Did he feel it also, she wondered? The idea intrigued her and she could perceive that he must feel a little bit of something as well.

She had spent hours upon hours, analyzing and sorting through her feelings. And each time Caterina came back to the same unbelievable, yet inevitable conclusion. Despite barely knowing him, she had only scratched at the surface of Severus Snape, yet she believed that she already cared deeply for him. Cared for him in such a way that went way over, above and beyond anything her promise had required of her, because she herself chose to care for him and at the same time felt totally drawn to him in an indescribable manner. It was unlike anything she had ever felt for any other man before.

Upon remembering her promise to complete her task, Cat felt sure that she would soon be able to approach him about it as well. She was more than ready to get that out in the open and over with. She wondered what he would have to say or think about it, when she did. Excitement washed over her, as she sensed it all coming to a close, ready to end her task finally and to unfold a new exciting chapter in her life.

Cat awoke early on Wednesday, ready to start her list of errands for the day. Being already mid-July, she needed to do a bit of shopping, for her mother would be returning home at the end of the week and Cat usually liked to surprise her with some kind of fun trinket. And it was Ellie, the housekeeper's birthday in a few days, so she needed to find a gift for her as well. Jamison had asked her the evening before, if she wouldn't mind stopping by the warehouse site, to go over a few plans as well. She surprisingly felt up to it and was suddenly reminded that since her evening out with Severus two weeks ago, she hadn't had one single nightmare since. Caterina smiled happily. Well, he had wished her pleasant dreams, after all.

After several hours of shopping and selecting the several gifts, Cat grabbed lunch and headed to the warehouse to meet up with Jamison. She thought he had seemed a touch mysterious recently and wondered what he could be up to. Cat also started to feel a tingling sensation rush through her body as she realized she'd be only yards away from Severus and his house. Was he home right now? It had been far too long since she'd last seen him and Cat was eager to spend more time with him. Would it be acceptable for her to stop by, on the off chance of being in the area? She toyed with the idea but she in no way wanted to force her presence upon him.

Pulling her little car into a spot near Jamison's, Caterina hopped out and found herself standing right in front of Severus' house. Cat gave it a good long stare, before heading toward the warehouse. For the first time in years, Cat felt no menacing omen as she approached the derelict building. Instead, Cat felt so light and happy inside that she almost danced over to where Jamison was chatting with the foreman, once she spotted them in the back lot.

* * *

Severus sat stewing and aggravated, in his study. He hadn't left his house in several days. Not since that God-forsaken dream. It had left him undone. He was angry at himself, angry at Dumbledore and his hunches, angry at the news the owl had brought him and all out angry with his place in life. He was angry with the world. The one that he just could not summon any anger for, was Caterina. And that made him, again, angry. Why her? Why him? He could not befriend someone that he felt all these sorts of odd, one-sided feelings, sensations and emotions for. He wanted things to go back to the way they were, before he'd ever encountered her last summer. Blindly unfeeling, stoic and yet, darkly brooding in his quest to fulfil the vow he'd made. That was the life he knew how to live, if one could even call it a life at all. At least then, he was sure of every move he made, and never second-guessed a single thought or feeling within himself.

And despite it all, Severus sat there, day after day now, listening to what was going on outside him, hoping to catch a statement or a phrase in reference to Caterina, for he had not be able to replace the silencing spells. It just wasn't in his heart to do so. He tried futilely to once more busy himself in potion and spell books, dark arts texts and even toyed with inventing a few new spells. At the end of each day, he believed there was nothing to show but a fruitless waste of time and energy, though.

Severus sat with back hunched toward the study window, mindlessly engaged in killing flies, spiders and all other manner of tiny vexation that inhabited his house and crossed into his ill temper. Unexpectedly, a conversation outside entangled his senses, causing him to turn. His dark eyes sought to find the offending voices, and settled on a pale, pasty-looking fellow and a darker, thick man.

"Oh man! Did you happen to snatch a peek at old man Clarkstone's daughter when she was here visitin' the other week?" asked the pale fellow of the darker man.

"Nah man, I was out on another job site that day. Heard she's a looker, for sure, though."

"Damn! She's more than a just a simple looker! She's like a sex goddess on legs. Mmm Hmmm! Talk about some fabulously large, firm boobs and a fine, round, slap-able tail! And I think she used to do ballet... bet she can move her body into some pretty kinky positions! What I wouldn't give to tap that hot piece of ass. Repeatedly! Damn, I'm getting a hard-on, just thinkin' about it! I wonder how she likes to -"

"Derek, you're vile, filthy, and repulsive, ya know that, right?"

"What?" The pale man shrugged. "A man can dream about gettin' it on with some foxy bitch, can't he? Didn't say I's gonna actually do anything!"

The darker man spit on the ground. "You're freaking disgustin' ya know? You're married, with a kid on the way and here you are totally talking smack about screwing someone else. Who cares if it's someone who would never give you the time of day or not! Somebody needs to give your poor wife a wake-up call. And you're not a man - you're a low-class pervert!"

"Trust me, the wifey already knows that, and ain't no better herself, the dirty slut. Brat's probably not mine anyways. Like I said, ain't nothing ever gonna happen, just enjoying a tiny an' healthy piece of fantasy in my life."

"Wow! Well keep it to yourself. That's all I can say. What a sorry, lame excuse of a person you are."

The darker man got up and trotted away, shaking his head in outrage. With that, the pale pasty creature's grease gun misfired and shot thick, black oil all over his face and body, causing him to yelp loudly in pain and distress. The oil seemed to have found its way into every crevice and opening of his face. And who cared if there was permanent damage? The creature deserved it. Severus looked down at the wand in his hand, as a slow, victorious smile fixed itself on his face. And a small, but comforting thought took shape in his head. Caterina would definitely accept Severus as a lover any day over that pathetic waste of life.

Severus watched triumphantly as they sent the repulsive, pasty-faced creature off for care and then home for the rest of the week. Apparently, he wasn't even one of the mediocre of workers and had far too many 'accidents' on the job. He might have to fix it so that pale pasty creature never came back, with that kind of horrid language and those types of nasty thoughts about his sweet Caterina. A little voice in his head tried to tell him he was no better than that worthless creature, not after the dream he'd had. But Severus knew he was better and very much different. He never saw Caterina as if she were some prey he must hunt and conquer for himself, out of raging lust only. There was so much more depth behind his feelings than lust itself, although lust was a part of it, he admitted. He also wanted to make her happy, make her smile and laugh, to take care of her and to keep her safe in any way that he could. He wanted to... Severus shook himself and shoved the thoughts forming in his mind back into the vault and set about to busy himself with his books again.

He stared blankly at one of the books for a long while. He'd barely just seized the first sentence off the page, when Severus heard a new but familiar voice calling, outside. His eyes shot up to the window, as did his body, only to be rewarded with the glorious sight of Caterina. And was he ever thankful that the vile, offensive creature was long gone before she showed up.

Transfixed by her beauty, Severus stood still, studying what Caterina was wearing. This time, she was sporting a free-flowing chocolate-colored dress that ended just above her knees. Over her shoulders were tiny ruffled sleeves and it scooped down in the front as well as the back. It had a high waist that cut in, just under her chest and it also appeared have a little ribbon threaded through the edge of the scooping neckline that tied in a bow in the center. On her feet was a simple pair of matching sandals that had a slight heel to them. This time Caterina's long curls were all tied back together in a loose, chocolate-colored bow, out of which quite a few wispy curls seemed to have strayed.

Where she had come from, Severus had no idea, because he now caught sight of Jamison over talking with the foreman. And there did not appear to be a car in the alley, unless it was out along the street - in front of his house.

"Hello! Jamison!" Caterina waved.

She skipped along with a graceful lilt to her step, while the front of her bounced somewhat and did things to unhinge Severus' vault of thoughts. He took a deep, fortifying breath in an attempt to try and clear his head. Ahh... he could almost smell her sweet scent. Caterina was completely rattling his senses once again, but he did manage the clarity of thought enough to strengthen and amplify the listening and viewing spells.

"Afternoon Cat. Have a productive morning?" Jamison grinned.

"Sure did. So what's up? You said you wanted to show me a few things?"

"Hmm... yes,' he said as he began to rummage around through a pile of long, rolled-up blueish papers, laying on the hood of a work truck. 'Here are a few tentative ideas that the planning board came up with for this site once the building is removed, and I wanted your opinion on them. Some of them are quite interesting and very exciting."

He started to unroll them one by one and excitedly point out things to Caterina. Who in turn tried hard to act interested at it all but Severus could tell she only appeared to be half-listening, with her eyes occasionally drifting over toward his house and his window. Was she thinking about him?

Finally, when Caterina uttered 'um hmmm' for about the twentieth time, did Jamison stop and actually look at her. "Are you actually paying any attention to this, Cat? You seem distracted."

"Oh yes! Totally...yes... ok, no, not really," she snorted a little laugh. "I'm sorry, really I am, it's just well, my mind isn't wanting to focus very well on these at the moment. I mean they're blueprints, not really my sort of thing."

Severus then caught what he took to be a highly amused look from Jamison, shooting over in the direction of his house as well. Jamison reached into his pocket and pulled out a small folded sheet of paper.

He grinned broadly as he handed it to Caterina, who took it with a quizzical look at him. "Well maybe, you can better focus on this then."

She unfolded and stared at the paper, looking utterly confused. "What's this about?"

"Oh, after our little 'talk' the other week, I took the liberty of making you a short list of candidates."

"Candidates for what exactly?" and she raised an eyebrow, almost harshly at him now.

Jamison chuckled. "Oh I think you can figure that out by yourself."

"Jamison! This better be a joke - one that I don't find very funny - at all!"

Caterina actually looked mad, a side Severus had yet to see from her. But he had to laugh aloud when he saw her take her shoulder bag and swing it, hard into Jamison's arm, just like an angry child would do. She was beautiful, even when she was angry.

"What's that for?" Jamison asked, faking a look of shock.

"Jamison Lahey! I don't need a list like this for any reason. I'm perfectly fine on my own-"

"That's just it Caterina! You spend too much time alone, on your own!"

"What I mean is, I don't need _this _kind of help!"

"Just hear me out, Cat." Jamison smirked.

Caterina pursed her lips tightly together and turned them into a wry smile, narrowing her eyes at him. Blast it all! What was on the accursed paper that had her so bothered, Severus wondered. Caterina's eyes glared down the paper but she drew a broad smile as she appeared to reach the end of it and looked back at Jamison who continued on.

"You just seemed so happy since then and well, and I thought I'd give you a little push and maybe add some extra variety, you know, just in case."

"Jamison, that's really, ummm... thoughtful and all, but, frankly, well he's just a real jerk. And that one just got engaged... Sorry, he's not very good looking... ewww he gives me the creeps. That one has slept with everyone in the country just about... and he's totally stuck on himself, very vain. Oh and this one's got a girl pregnant at the office -" she rattled off as her finger went down what Severus now assumed could only be a list of names.

Folding the paper, Caterina handed it back to an astonished-looking Jamison. Clearly, some of Caterina's revelations about those on the list had been news to him. He opened the paper again and scanned it once more. Caterina turned around into Severus' full view and slowly started walking away from Jamison.

"Wait Cat - you skipped a name, the bottom one. What's his problem exactly?"

She stopped and turned around again to face Jamison. "The last one? Oh, I didn't skip him. He's the only decent and favorable one. Actually, the only _real_ man worth anything, of those you put on there. And I think you already know that as well."

"Ahh... I see, but does he too, have a problem, like all the rest?"

Caterina shook her head and turned away from Jamison again, with a laugh and a twinkle in her eyes.

"Yes, he does have one flaw."

And with that, she started walking back down the alleyway, toward Severus' house again.

"And what's that one flaw, Cat?" Jamison hollered after her.

She closed her eyes and with a broad, sweet smile, threw her last remark, over her shoulder toward a very, unsatisfied-looking Jamison. "I don't see him enough."

At that, Jamison, arched his brow in total confusion, as if that was the last answer he was expecting her to give him. He looked to the paper again. Then his eyes wondered all around as a deep contemplative look washed over him. He folded the paper back up and made to throw it in the closest trash bin, but then, seeming to think better of it, he pocketed it once more.

Severus was stuck between two ideas. Going out his front door after Caterina and acting as if he'd just stepped out for the day, only to 'bump' into her? But what would he say? And what if she just waved to him and left in her car? That would certainly be disappointing. The safer idea was to magically pick Jamison's pocket to see what and who was on that paper.

In the end, the logic of his mind won out over the tiny burning flame of his heart. He decided to go for the paper, as he would catch up with Caterina at anytime later. The paper could disappear forever, where as Caterina would not.

Without a sound, he cast several spells through the window in the direction of Jamison, who was now rolling up the big, blue papers again. He seemed quite amused with himself, as he kept shaking his head and chuckling. He never notice the folded paper lift itself out of his front pant pocket and vanish under a concealment charm, as it flew down the alleyway toward Severus' house. There was a tiny click as it pushed through the muggle mail slot on the front door. And it slowly became visible again as Severus caught it agilely in his hand. His steady hands unfolded it and scanned a list of men's names that he did not know at all. Save for the one at the bottom: Severus Snape.

They had been talking about him! Severus was stunned beyond belief. He raced to recall her exact words about the '_skipped name, on the bottom'_ of the list.

"_The last one? Oh, I didn't skip him. He's the only decent and favorable one. Actually, the only real man worth anything, of those you put on there. And I think you already know that as well_."

She called him a _real_ man! But wait - what was her problem with him? He closed his eyes as his mind pulled that up as well.

"_I don't see him enough_."

How could Caterina ever consider someone like _him_ as being worth _her_ time and effort? His mind crashed to a grinding halt over the thought. But, even still, little snippets of pictures flashed through his mind.

The watchful glances she had thrown at his house.

How she had smiled at him when he'd caught her in the studio.

The way she inched in, closer to him when he'd put his arm protectively around her.

How she had reached up to run her fingers through his hair just because she wanted to.

The way she gently looped her arm into his while they walked along.

How she had looked sad as she hugged him goodbye last fall.

The way she tenderly held and touched his hand in hers.

How she had looked at him when he had wiped away her tears.

The way she looked when he said he would go to the pastry shop with her.

And finally, the sweet look on her face and the way it felt when she had softly kissed him.

Had Severus read all of these gestures completely wrong? He'd viewed them simply as acts of kindness, merely friendly gestures from a sweet, compassionate woman, and not at all in a way that showed she herself might be harboring the slightest of feelings for him as well. Severus had no experiences to compare any of these gestures against, so he'd thrown them out as nothingness and meaningless actions toward him. He'd attributed them as being just the silly whims of a sweet woman, who saw him as nothing more than someone from her childhood and possibly as a vague friend.

What did he now do with this possible knowledge? And how would these feelings conflict with his duty and vow to help destroy the Dark Lord, forever? This would be tough enough to sort out without throwing his duties to that into the mix. Was it possible to walk two equally different paths at the same time? Not to mention the fact that he not only felt it but knew it - he was totally and completely unworthy of a woman as amazing as Caterina. Yet, how could he not desire her?

Severus didn't know what to do. He had no skills and no real experience to fall back on when it came to being with a woman. He never thought he would have the need for that kind of knowledge and understanding. Only now could he see the slight error in that. But then again he had never met anyone like Caterina before. She was the only one who had ever caused such an upheaval to his mind, his feelings, his senses, his very life.

He set in his mind to start watching those around him more carefully, and pay attention to couples as he passed by them. Maybe he could glean a few things that way, through careful observation. Severus was certainly not one that would go about seeking this sort of information by way of conversation or by browsing in books.

It was only then, that Severus realized one of the largest factors he needed to consider before anything else was to be done. How on earth would Caterina handle the knowledge of what he really was - a Wizard? Would that scare her away completely or would she accept and embrace his World?

* * *

A/N: Oh that creature was nasty, crass and vulgar, wasn't he? Thankfully, Severus was around to take care of him! And afterwards, Severus was certainly rewarded with some very interesting information. Hmm... now what exactly will he do with that knowledge? )

As always, thank you for reading and for any thoughts, comments and whatnots that you wish to leave. Happy Snapey dreams to you! ;)


	14. Always on My Mind

**Chapter 14**

**Always on My Mind**

Caterina's happiness started to fade along with the rest of July. Partly because she hadn't seen or heard from Severus since the sweet evening they had spent together almost a month ago. And partly because she knew he'd be heading back to school in a few weeks time. Would she see him before that? Cat sadly began to wonder if her eager excitement and happy musings about him had, in fact, been severely misplaced and unfounded.

Maybe Jamison had it right, after all. Maybe she really did need to get out more and try to enjoy the company of others. But no one she could think of interested Cat in the way that Severus did. There was just something so mysterious and fascinating about him. There always had been. And there wasn't anyone else that she could think of who she wanted to spend her time with. She wasn't exactly keen on the idea of getting out, and trying to meet new people; she was satisfied with him. The one thing she was very sure of - she would give just about anything to spend more time getting to know Severus Snape. She enjoyed being with him, even when he was rather quiet and serious or in a dark and brooding mood.

But this upcoming weekend did hold some potential to meet others, as it was the annual charity benefit. Cat stayed far from the planning of it this year, leaving everything in the very capable hands of the charity's head director. After Alex's little stunt last year, she was more than happy to take a very backseat role again. Looking back now, Cat was certainly glad in her decision, as in the last few months, she'd instead had the unfortunate pleasure of dealing with the recurring nightmares.

Jamison caught Cat looking deeply contemplative, curled up on the office couch, holding a large cup of hot chocolate between her hands. He had not brought up anything more about his list, knowing her well enough to take his advice in stride. But now, he had a proposition to make and he wanted to tread lightly.

"Cat?" he started tentatively.

"Yeah?"

"Well, first off, I'm not trying to be pushy about this at all, but there's someone who would like to meet you after the benefit on Saturday night." Jamison paused and looked a bit unsure. "I didn't feel it would be right to surprise you with it and wanted to prepare you ahead of time - if that's ok with you."

"I take it this _someone_ must be a man? Otherwise, you wouldn't be asking me like this." Cat raised an eyebrow and gave him a funny, knowing smirk.

"Yes- but not someone from that list, I promise," he added quickly with a tiny, cocked smile.

"I've met this particular man on several occasions now and let's just say I believe you'll find him an interesting and an intelligent enough of a fellow, a real gentleman in fact."

"We'll see about that." Caterina quipped ruefully.

"Apparently, he saw your performance last year and has spent some time asking about you, wanting to meet you. I came into contact with him through a business associate of mine in London."

"Trying to track me down? Oh great, a psycho!" Cat snickered, "I need another, to add to the list, you know."

"Cat dear, just gave it a tiny chance, please. All you have to do is meet him. I'm not asking you to have drinks with him or go to dinner with him!"

Caterina held up a hand to stop Jamison from starting into any lecturing. "Ok, Ok! I'll meet him!"

The last thing she wanted to hear about again was how she spent too much time alone. But frankly, alone is what she wanted to be at the moment. With a deep sigh and a shake of his head, Jamison headed out for the day.

* * *

For the benefit, Caterina picked a simple beryl colored dress to match her eyes. It was strapless, made of flawless, free-flowing silk and around the waist, wrapped a wide chocolate sash that tied with a knot and hung down a little in the front. She donned it simply with a simple pearl necklace, bracelet and earring set and a small chocolate clutch purse.

This year, she sat near the top of the rear balcony with her mother and Jamison. It was a wonderful evening, mainly due to the fact that Caterina could sit back and just enjoy the benefit. No demands, no pressure, as it was all out of her hands. The only damper on the whole evening was due to the fact that she knew, this year, that afterwards she would not be spending her time with Severus. Caterina let out a small, wistful breath, wondering what Severus was currently doing and when she would possibly see him again.

The event was over all too soon and together they made their way to the reception area. Apparently, Jamison had been sure to see that this new guy was given an invitation to the private after-party. Caterina had decided not to bring up this new person, nor was she going to search the room with a wondering eye, trying to pinpoint him. As Jamison and her mother were quickly distracted by friends, she slowly meandered over into the corner where she had spent all of last year, enjoying her time with Severus. She closed her eyes for a moment to picture how he had looked that night, dressed smartly in black. Always in black, with his long, black hair and his black, glinting eyes. They held such depth in them. Fathomless, at times, even.

"And now, I actually have the pleasure of meeting such a beauty as you, in person," came a deeply smooth and baritone voice behind her.

The voice reminded her slightly of Severus' deep and velvety soft tone. Although this voice was somewhat compelling, she knew right away just whose she preferred listening to. Cat slowly turned around to find a tall, broad-shouldered black man standing behind her. He wore a dashing midnight blue suit and was actually rather charmingly handsome, she admitted, yet she couldn't help but compare him to Severus. And again, she knew whose face and look she preferred best, as well.

Caterina nodded and smiled sweetly, blushing lightly.

"I don't know if Jamison mentioned me to you, but I'm Porter, Porter Kingston. Almost everyone calls me King, though," he added with a warm smile.

"Caterina Clarkstone, though some call me Cat."

He held out a large, firm hand to her. She reached out to shake it and was caught completely off her guard by him gently pulling her arm up and lightly kissing the back of her hand. Oh, he was one of those kinds of charmers and very sure of himself, indeed.

"Wonderful to finally meet you and make your acquaintance, Caterina."

There was no mistake in the twinkle she caught in his deep brown eyes; he seemed to be quite taken with her. And he seemed to be in no desire to hide that fact.

The rest of the evening was far from boring. For once, Jamison had been spot on about something. Porter, or King as he preferred, was very intelligent and certainly one of the most interesting men she had met in ages, save, of course, Severus. Whom she continually found herself comparing him to.

He had charm, pose, and style. He was very easy to converse with on a multitude of topics and he rounded out the evening by inquiring several times of Caterina, whether or not she was available for future meetings between the two of them, most especially for dinner. He even subtly tried to inquire as to whether or not there was any possible competition for him to contend with! King took no loss in making it obvious that he was most definitely interested in getting to know her better - getting to know everything about her. Cat was fairly hesitant to give him any direct answers as to having any other suitors but at the same time intrigued enough by him to actually consider the dinner invitation. What would it hurt, after all, to enjoy an evening out and possibly make a new friend?

Of that she was sure; King would become a friend, but nothing more, despite what he himself might want.

* * *

Severus sat, head in his hands. He was tired and disappointed. After having discovered the list and drawing the however minuscule but possible conclusion that Caterina might actually be even the slightest bit interested in him, he hadn't had a single free moment to pursue her attentions again. Instead, all of his recent time now was devoted to help aid in the search of the very dangerous, escaped murderer, Sirius Black. He was the vicious traitor that gave Voldemort the information he needed to find and kill James and Lily Potter. He had killed muggles and wizards alike. And Severus wanted him dead with such passion, only next to the Dark Lord himself.

The now dead owl, sent from Dumbledore himself, had delivered the news of Black's astonishing escape from Azkaban. At first, the Ministry of Magic dispatched most of the Auror Department to go after him. They'd anticipated recapturing him within a few days' time at most. But Black eluded them all and it had since been three weeks with no real clues as to where he might be hiding. Last week, the Ministry added many more highly trained wizards to aid in its fruitless search. And this week, that dunderhead of a Minister, Fudge, indicated that if Black was not caught by the weekend, that he would have no other choice but to alert the Muggle Prime Minister of the matter.

Dumbledore stayed, hidden in the background, as he led his own quiet search, sorting out leads and sending Severus to check out quite a few, during the past week and a half. None had shown any real promise of hope, while eliminating them offered a small touch of progress at best.

Severus, now at his house again, awaited the arrival of the next wild goose trail for him to follow up on. While he waited, his mind slipped and began to wonder for a long moment upon Caterina. Where was she? What was she doing? Was she safe? She was an innocent muggle but he had stopped seeing her as one and started seeing her as only Caterina, a beautiful woman. Muggle or Wizard - made no difference anymore.

He wasn't sure when that had changed, only that Severus firmly knew and acknowledged that it had. He started to feel almost anxious as he thought of the possible danger Black posed if Caterina were to cross his path. But that was absurd, he told himself. What were the chances of any other wizard, let alone Sirius Black, coming into contact with Caterina? Yet, still he felt uneasy. Severus needed to see her. Needed to know she was safe. And he was going to take the time to do just that. _Now_. Severus just was not prepared for what would happen when he found her.

* * *

A/N: A shorter chapter and not exactly the most eventful of chapters, because, well sadly Severus didn't go to the benefit! He's a bit busy with other problems at the moment. If only he knew how she compared him to this newcomer! Severus would probably feel pretty smug, don't ya think? ;)

I appreciate all of the continued love for A Place for My Heart and it totally makes my day! :)


	15. A Fortuitous Encounter

**Chapter 15**

**A Fortuitous Encounter**

Severus, unsure of where to look first, decided he'd risk sending out a tracer spell to help track down Caterina. He knew she would never be able to tell it was around her; he was only wary of anyone else who might happen upon her. And again, he reminded himself, what was the likelihood of any other wizard happening upon her?

It didn't take him long to trace her. Caterina was not in the mansion as he'd hoped, though. But rather it appeared she was out and about on foot. His mind showed him the area of town he thought her to be nearest. Somewhere very close where the park and the stream that ran though it crossed the road and eventually met up with the river. Severus did not like this. It was secluded, made up mainly of woods, not very populated at all, and wasn't known to be the safest of areas to be in alone.

What could she possibly be doing in that area? Was she idly wandering through the park? Severus quickly apparated to a spot he long knew to be hidden, from even the most watchful of gazes, by thick and close growing trees. He cast his eyes around expectantly, searching to find her. Just across the street from the park, he noticed a figure, carrying a long, bushy package of sorts and walking along in a quiet, thoughtful manner. It was Caterina. His heart momentarily thrilled and surged into tiny flames at the mere sight of her.

Severus watched her as she stopped in from of a black metal gate just off the sidewalk. Caterina appeared to be having trouble with the latch. He stood fixed to the spot, admiring her. Realization dawned upon him as he suddenly knew where the path behind the gate led - to the cemetery. He'd not set foot in there since he was a child. And long ago, he'd vowed to never enter it again. His worthless, so-called father was buried there and probably his mother as well. Severus was never entirely sure about her though, as he hadn't attended her funeral and took no part in the arrangements. He hadn't attended his father's either and that never bothered him in the least.

Well, vows be damned today, he thought. He hurried discretely through a small section of park, and crossed the street behind her. If she turned now, it would look as if he'd been walking out from a conveniently hidden side street. But Caterina had not noticed, as she was still fiddling with the latch. It appeared stuck.

"Allow me," he spoke softly, not wanting to completely startle her.

Still, it caused Caterina to jump and clasp a hand to her chest. "Severus! I didn't see you."

He half-smiled at her. "I noticed. Again. At least you were not about to run into anything this time."

Caterina giggled. It was a most pleasing sound to his ears. He ably unstuck the latch and opened the gate for her. He turned and found her gazing sweetly up at him. The power of her blue eyes almost overtook him and he quickly turned away, motioning for her to proceed through the open gate. It was then that he caught sight of what she was carrying: an assorted bunch of flowers. A thought clicked within his mind and he now knew why she was there. And he wondered if she would like to be alone. He stood with his hand resting on the gate as she turned to see if he followed.

"Would you- would you prefer to be alone?" he asked, his dark eyes searching her face questioningly.

"Actually no, I'd quite enjoy your company."

And with that, Severus stepped through, closing the gate with one swift moment. She smiled up at him almost shyly now and as he came up beside her, she slipped her arm through his. He returned a small smile at her but said nothing. And as they started to walk, he caught her sweet and wonderful hypnotic scent.

"How have you been, Severus?" asked Caterina.

"Fine but busy."

"With school?"

"Not exactly, although it's somewhat related." Severus surprised himself with that admission.

Caterina turned and glanced up at him. "Oh. When will you be going back?"

"About two weeks from now."

"So soon?"

She sounded sad at that. He glanced ever so slightly down and saw her face appeared crestfallen. Caterina turned her face up to his and caught his eye, giving him a small, wistful smile.

Then her gaze turned questioning and contemplative. "Severus, you do more than teach, don't you?"

Her question was sudden and caught him off guard. He'd almost forgotten how perceptive she seemed to be. Severus searched for the best answer, not wanting to be hasty in his reply and yet wanting to be truthful. As much as he was willing. But how _much_ was he willing?

Exhaling calmly through his nose, Severus answered. "Yes, you could say that."

He felt her arm tighten against his. "It's dangerous, isn't it?"

Severus stopped and turned to face her. Damn. She was far too perceptive.

"What makes you say that?" Severus arched his brow, inquizatively.

"I don't know." Caterina shrugged her shoulders. "Just a vibe, I guess, that I get from you. That you're involved in something deep and unpleasant."

Again he paused, searching her face intently and trying to read what lay buried within the depths of her vivid blue eyes. There was no way she could already know what he truly was, of that he was positively certain. He turned away and started walking again, while best trying to figure out what to tell her. They were now leaving the wooded path and entering the cemetery, an area with small, simple markers. He had no idea of where she needed to go, so he let her choose the path to take. Caterina motioned with her hand before looping her little arm through his once more. Then they headed down the wide, center path, toward an area in the back with larger and more ornate headstones.

"Let's just say I made a few unwise choices in my younger years that have had a lasting effect on the present, as well as the future at times." Severus admitted quietly, his voice deeply reflective.

Caterina nodded. "I see."

No, she really didn't, but he left it at that. They continued in silence, until she slowed a bit and pointed to a small marker off to the left side of the path.

Stepping forward, she looked up to study his face. "I pass it every time I come."

Severus stared down at it and read the inscription - _Eileen Prince Snape._ It was his mother. For a reason that he couldn't fully explain, he felt a touch of sadness creeping into his soul over his long, bereft mother. Upon more careful inspection of the area, Severus noticed that there appeared to have been fresh flowers left not so long ago. Who would have done such a thing? His face must have given away his questioning thought.

"There are several groups in the area who come regularly and leave flowers, quite randomly throughout the graves. Little, random acts of kindness..." Caterina offered quietly.

"I never made it to her funeral. There were things going on... things at that time and I- I just didn't make the time," he finished slowly, in an almost regretful sounding tone, as he stared down at the marker.

Severus could not believe how the experience of finally viewing his mother's grave had left him feeling unnerved, even if only for a few moments.

"Maybe she understood," said Caterina softly, as she laced her fingers through his, peering up at him.

She gave his hand a tight squeeze and then slipped her hand away again. Caterina reached into the bunch of flowers she carried and pulled out a beautiful long, red rose, offering it to Severus. He was touched by her gesture, yet hesitantly, he took the rose and held it for a while, before stooping slightly and placing it almost reverently upon the center of his mother's marker.

They continued on, toward the back of the cemetery. Neither said much. Caterina took several minutes, leaving flowers at both her father and brother's graves. Then, arm in arm they walked back along the same path they had come, soon exiting through the little black gate again, out onto the pavement path.

It appeared he would be walking her home once more. Severus felt somewhat at ease now, knowing Caterina was safe for the time being. He paused by the front door of the mansion, looking almost unsure of what he wanted to do. Finally, after staring deeply into her eyes, he gently placed his large hand upon her cheek, tilting her head up, closer to his.

"Caterina, I want you to listen carefully. There are dangerous people out there, right now. _Very_ dangerous people. Promise me you won't go wandering around alone, by yourself, like you were today, when I happened upon you." His tone was forceful, yet caring, and his black eyes were showing deep concern.

She was confused by his words at first, but then it hit her, hard. Suddenly Caterina realized that he was trying to tell her something deeper. Much deeper than just an average reminder to be careful and stay safe. He knew things. Things that many others did not know or ever wish to know. He had seen terrible things happen and he wanted her to stay safe, away from all of it.

Caterina slowly nodded and whispered, "I promise, Severus."

It felt as though her blue eyes were locked into his deep blacks eyes. And for a very brief moment, she thought he was actually going to kiss her. Caterina eagerly wanted for him to kiss her, but instead, he caressed her cheek softly with his fingertips. She closed her eyes momentarily and smiled at his gentle touch, after which he dropped his hand quickly to his side.

Severus gave her sweet face a long study. "I'll see you later."

Caterina took a deep breath, feeling heated by his intense gaze. "Goodbye, Severus."

And just like that, he was gone, once again. All throughout the rest of the day, Caterina caught herself touching the cheek he had so tenderly held. Later that evening, as she was heading to her room, Jamison called her into the office.

"Have you seen the news yet, this evening, Cat?"

"No, why?" she asked, looking at him with concern.

"There's a breaking news alert out for a dangerous mass murder, who's just escaped from a high-security prison." Jamison gestured toward the television. "Name's Sirius Black and he looks like a real terror of a bloke."

Jamison turned up the volume on the television and Caterina listened with growing interest to the special report. She felt an odd feeling of fear growing inside her as they showed a picture of the convict. And promptly, Caterina wondered to herself, had Severus already known about this escaped man? She gave a shudder, desperately hoping that whatever unpleasantness Severus was involved in, that he would stay safe and far from harm's way.

* * *

A/N: Awwww... that enigmatic Severus Snape! Just always leaves you longing for more, doesn't he? Hope you enjoyed my take on things, especially regarding Severus' family. The books left us with so little in that area.

As always, I really appreciate the reviews and comments from everyone! Wooohooo - made it to chapter 15! Thanks for the keeping up with the story!:)


	16. A Crack in Pandora's Box

**Chapter 16**

**A Crack in Pandora's Box**

For the first time in his long, lonely life, a microscopic fissure of hope began to shimmer within Severus. A tiny part of his life was starting to look up. But instead of embracing it with wonder or even acceptance, he mused to himself at how long it would take to completely ruin and destroy it. Severus knew there were no silver linings to be granted in his life and everything in his life came to him with a catch and a price.

Almost as sure as if he'd predicted it, bad news came to add insult upon injury. It was bad enough to have Sirius Black on the loose, but now he'd received the unfortunate news that Dumbledore had hired Remus Lupin, another man high on Severus' hate list, though not from the dark side. Severus' grudge and hate stemmed back all the way to his own days as a student at Hogwarts. From years of constant hatred, bullying and fighting among all of them, to a practical joke played on him by Lupin, Potter, and Black that almost went horribly wrong.

Lupin had been a best friend of James and Lily, along with Black, and he also had failed them. Failed them differently from Black in not being able to protect them, as Severus saw it. Therefore, leaving the task of protecting Harry now on him alone. And not to mention the fact that Lupin carried a deadly secret - he was a werewolf. What had possessed a man like Dumbledore to resort to stooping to such lowly standards, now for Hogwarts? This bad news was going to last for the whole of the school year.

Severus knew he needed to formulate a plan of action and swiftly put it into motion. He had many suspicions and he must begin somewhere to sort out the truth. No more of this prancing around the issues; he would confront and deal with them. All of them, directly and head-on. Something had changed within him and it took him all of one night to make and finalize his decisions about many topics, including what to do about the matter of Caterina, sweet, lovely and beautiful Caterina.

Purposely, he waited until the last moment, before going to see her. It was shs who Severus had given the most thought to but the one whom he would have the least amount of time with. Severus had last seen her two weeks ago when they'd visited the cemetery together and this would be his final time, before returning to Hogwarts. Severus arrived midmorning at the mansion and marveled in his good fortune as Caterina herself answered the door. She was the perfect portrait of everything beautiful and wondrous in life but his resolve was set, firm and unbreakable.

Her sweet face blossomed into a brilliant smile when she saw him. "Severus! What a happy surprise! Come on in."

Severus stared at her. "I'm not here for a visit as I'm heading off to school for start of term."

"Ahh, so this is another good-bye then?" Caterina said, her blue eyes turning sad.

"That is correct."

"Why am I not surprised?" she replied with a sad grin and a shake of her head.

He studied her face for a long, silent moment before speaking. "I've decided it's past time for me to move on in life. Between now and the Christmas holidays, I shall be having my belongings moved out of the house on Spinner's End and relocating closer to the school. I doubt I'll ever be coming back to Mill Town so I will forward the keys and any necessary paperwork onto the company office address. I'm hardly ever here and there's nothing here to keep me coming back."

Wait, what was he saying? Caterina swallowed hard. His words pierced into her heart like thousands of tiny, fiery darts. Why was he doing this? Nothing here for him? Were they not friends? At first, she couldn't respond. She only stared up at him in disbelief. He was joking. He had to be joking, right? But she knew Severus well enough to know that he rarely joked.

"But, w-well, why?" she stuttered, as her blue eyes pleaded into his for explanation and clarification of his words.

She noticed, though, that his eyes no longer claimed their deep, fathomless gleam, but rather they appeared cold, flat and empty now.

"Ms. Clarkstone, I thank you for all your kindness," Severus' lip started to curl into a sneer, "but really we are from two very different worlds and there is nothing we have in common to warrant continuing or even desiring a friendship between us."

She was now _Ms. Clarkstone_ to him? Caterina felt as if he had physically struck her. And in a sense, his very words had done just that. Where was the Severus that she had spent several long hours with? The one who was quiet, yet still very enjoyable to be with. The one who had caressed her cheek so tenderly and wiped her tears. The one who pulled her close when he had sensed danger around them. Fight them as she tried, the tears marched forward and started to well up. The whole of their ranks just waited for the release order to be given.

Caterina sniffed and widened her eyes. "Severus, please! Don't say that. It's just not true."

He threw back his head in a cold, mocking laugh that pushed icy rods straight through her heart to replace the slew of fiery darts. "Oh, come off it! Open your eyes and take a look around yourself. It's more than obvious."

She blinked rapidly, but against her wishes, a small, hot tear finally escaped her lid's grip and plunged down her cheek. The first one was away, then quickly another followed. Severus actually sneered at this and muttered something sounding an awful lot like, '_Stupid__, fluff-headed girl._' Then he forced a rather fake, icy looking smile upon his lips.

"I wish you well in life, Ms Clarkstone." Severus nodded stiffly.

He started to turn but her small hand flew out and grabbed his black sleeve. She had to stop him. She _must_ stop him. His black eyes flashed immediate annoyance at her touch. Caterina didn't care. Severus could hit her even and that wouldn't matter. As far as she was concerned, he already had, and it had been so hard, it continued to reverberate throughout her entire body, shaking her violently to her very core. But she needed him to listen. She needed him to stay. Just for a few moments longer.

"Wait! Please! Wait... for one moment longer. _Please_!" she begged, pleading with such heartbroken sounding fervor, that he actually stopped and turned back.

"For what?" his tone demanded harshly, causing her to jump.

"I need to go get it. Please, don't go. Not yet. Just gave me a minute. _Please wait, _Severus!"

Severus pursed his thin lips tightly and gave the minutest gesture of a visible nod. Caterina tore off, back through the hall and up the grand stairs. She'd never moved so fast in her life. Wildly, she flung the door to her room open and frantically began to search about. Within moments, her hands came upon what she was seeking: the old tattered locket. Then she knocked her whole writing desk over, as she dumped the contents from each drawer, desperately in search of a small envelope. Finding a plain white one, she dropped the locket inside and sealed it. Back down the stairs she flew, two at a time, worrying and wondering if he would still even be at the door.

He was and the very impatient and highly aggravated look upon his countenance clearly told her he'd only done so due to her extreme pleading. No other reason would have held him there. Caterina willed herself to stop before him, instead of running and jumping right into his arms like she wanted to, begging and pleading with him to explain himself. She thrust the little envelope into his hand.

"What's this?" he asked sharply, sounding disgusted at actually having to take something from her.

"Doesn't really matter anymore. Just take it. Do what you want with it." Caterina gasped.

He didn't even give it a second glance as his hand crumpled it and he shoved it into his jacket pocket. With a broad smirk and a roll of his black eyes, he turned on his heel, leaving. He made no motion and gave no acknowledgment to show that he'd heard her last comment that she whispered after him, with the tears marching at full force now and streaming down, obstructing her vision.

"Goodbye, Severus. Be safe."

Caterina watched his retreating back for what seemed an eternity, before finally stepping back inside and shutting the door, soundlessly. Then with her back pressed to it, eyes closed, she slid down against it and crumpled into a quiet, sobbing heap upon the cold, marble floor.

* * *

Caterina tossed and turned in her bed. Several weeks had passed since Severus' shockingly abrupt and final departure. She felt her mind splitting in pain while, yet again, spinning into complete overdrive, as it had become part of her nightly routine. What had she done? What_ had_ she done, to make him turn so completely cold and heartless, against her? Her mind replayed every last little detail of every word they'd spoken to each other over the times they had spent together. She couldn't find the problem. So again, she analyzed each gesture, each look. She found no sign of unpleasantness toward her, except for at their very first meeting, early last summer. Yet, even at that first meeting, he had not been nearly that cruel and calloused toward her. The hot tears returned and marched out from her lids, attacking her cheeks.

The feeling that she had failed miserably, hung over Caterina's head. At least, in part. She'd never be able to fully complete her task now. Although she'd done the easy part, in returning the locket. But why, why had she waited to get to the other, slightly harder part of explaining it? She'd had a year but she let it drag out. Why? _Why_? Because she fancied the idea of something developing between them? Could she have been anymore stupid and fool-hearted? Naive? Absurd? Unreasonable? He was right from the beginning - she was the complete and absolute epitome of a stupid, fluff-headed girl! They had no common ground, nothing between them. Nothing made sense anymore and she tried desperately to figure out what had ever given her such ridiculous ideas in the first place.

Then Caterina found herself remembering. Remembering the softness in his rich, deep voice as he spoke to her. Remembering his deep, black eyes as they seemed to gaze longingly into hers for brief moments. Remembering his gentle touch, as though she were fragile and needed his protection. She had not made those up - for she was never given to flights of fancy or whims like such, when it came to men. Severus had felt something for her too, of that she was sure, but whatever turned him or caused him to deny it, must have been so much more powerful than any hold she could ever have hoped to have on his affections. Could it even have been that Catereina had just gotten too close to him, too close for him to accept and deal with? Was there someone else? She would have accepted him telling her anything, as long as it was the truth, and not the way he'd done it.

For some reason, whatever it had been with Severus just felt so right, and like it was slowly heading in the right direction. But good God, now she needed to move on. They weren't to be friends even. But how? And what, really, was there to move on from, she asked herself, over and over. There was never anything spoken between them.

Caterina had done well at hiding her sadness and confusion from her mother and Jamison. During the day, she held herself intact, dealing with everything like always - the way Caterina was supposed to. But every night, when she pillowed her head, it all came rushing back to her with such severity, that it left her feeling deeply wounded. Why? How? There had only been the hint of a friendship starting to blossom between them, nothing more. She had simply overreacted. So why did she feel like she'd lost someone so much closer? Someone like, for lack of a better word, someone like a _soulmate_? No. That couldn't be it. There were many, many other men out there, with so much more to offer her than someone like Severus Snape ever could. Of that she was very sure. Yet, did she want to find one of them? And chance going through a pain much worse, someday?

August melted into September, and though Caterina tried to act normal, it was becoming harder. She found certain everyday joys turning themselves into tedious tasks at times, especially practicing ballet in the studio. Certain songs, ones that she had always loved, threatened to overwhelm her emotions when she thought of them or heard them playing. She found it hard to go down particular roads anymore, namely those near Spinner's End. She stopped going to _La Dolce Vita_. After a week or so, it clicked. She was avoiding almost anything that would threaten to force the memory of him and her together too close to the surface. Well, if it helped her get over his leaving and got her to move on, she would just avoid those things for the time being. Until she got over whatever this _was, _still lingering within her.

One day early in September, she received an interesting call with a promising proposition. It was from King. He was going to be in the area on business and he wanted to take her to dinner. Caterina eagerly accepted and actually looked forward to it. It was a step in the right direction, she felt. And she was not disappointed. King really proved to be a gentleman once again. He was quite the interesting character, very easy going and enjoyable to converse with. After that, they started to see each other once or twice a week. While Cat really didn't see a romantic attraction forming with him, she was thoroughly smitten by his apparent attentiveness toward her. She tried to be careful with him at the same time, knowing now the terrible feeling of being rejected herself, even if only the rejection was of friendship.

Then Caterina surprised her mother and even Jamison, by agreeing to go with her on the week long trip to a beautiful luxury resort in French Polynesia at the end of September. They stayed in an over-the-water ocean bungalow that held the most spectacular sunsets for them. The location was serenely awe inspiring, the dining superb and the spa utterly relaxing and invigorating. In fact, Cat couldn't remember the last time she had allowed herself to just let everything go and completely unwind. Even more amazing was that she and her mother really enjoyed some true bonding time. For one of the first times that Caterina could ever remembered, her mother opened up to her and shared much of her heart and mind. She spent hours telling Cat amusing and touching stories from when she and her beloved husband met and dated and on into the early years of their marriage. The trip with her mother went far better than she ever imagined it could and eagerly looked forward to getting away with her again.

Caterina returned home, feeling like a totally different person, compared to the one who had left it. She was starting to find a peace and happiness again, for it had not been completely taken away by Severus. And Caterina couldn't wait to embark on the next trip her dear mum had planned for the first week of November, to Turtle Island, Fiji.

October was filled with many exciting outings in London. She stayed much of the month in the family flat and spent a lot time with King. He took her to several concerts and shows in the city, they dined at fabulous restaurants and even explored quite a few of the quaint landmarks that neither of them had seen since childhood. She and King made great strides in their friendship and Cat was beginning to think he was definitely now aware that the romantic side was just not there between them. He had, on several occasions, tried to kiss her and the spark just wasn't lighting into a flame. A few times, Caterina half wished it would be there, but she knew better.

Cat spent a quiet Halloween back at the mansion, packing for the trip to Fiji. She and King were to attend a costume party but he had a last-minute family emergency that took him back to London. She didn't mind, though, as it gave her some needed downtime for getting herself organized again. She was standing in her closet, deciding which outfits to pack, when a little black dress caught her eye. The one she'd worn to Severus' when they had tea with Mr. Dumbledore.

Within moments, she grew dangerously shaky over the memory as it lingered around her. How much longer would it be before she received his notice of having moved out completely? That thought surprisingly overwhelmed her and a choked-back sob caught in her throat. She dropped to her knees, right in her closet and couldn't stop herself from wondering where he was and what he might be doing at that exact moment. Had he given her one second's worth of thought since he'd turned his back on her and left her standing there in tears? Probably not, was her sad conclusion. And he'd probably done away with the little locket as well. The burning, hot tears waged war yet again, overflowing her lids, and continued for a long while. Why did his memory still cause such vexing distress upon her?

Finally, she pulled herself together and calmed down. Jamison would be there soon for dinner and her mother was flying up from a shopping trip in London by helicopter in a little while. She finished up a bit more packing and went searching out what sounded like Jamison's voice, coming from downstairs.

It all seemed very strange. Jamison didn't usually talk that loud, even when angry. Caterina heard no replies, so she figured he must be on the phone.

By the time Caterina came trotting down the stairs, she no longer heard him, but she knew he was in the formal living room. Jamison sat on the couch, holding his head in his hands. Must have been some conversation, she thought to herself. He jumped up and stepped toward her as he heard her footsteps entering the room.

Jamison started talking to her. Something was wrong, though and Caterina found it hard to concentrate on his words. Jamison kept talking but her head, it felt funny. Way too heavy all of a sudden. A strange, horrid and sickening sensation passed through her entire body. Her vision began failing her as her knees gave way sharply. Jamison caught Caterina just in time, before her head could impact with the solid glass top of the coffee table.

* * *

A/N: Wow! Ouch! Didn't see that coming? How very like him though. Caterina finally gets a taste of the _real_ Severus Snape, the side he so happily shares with rest of the world! Any thoughts on what's going to happen to bring him back around? I must say that the song, _Happy Ending_ by Mika, kept playing over and over in my mind for poor Caterina while this chapter worked it's way out of my head. Sorry to leave you with such a sad chapter... *sniff, sniff*

_"This is the way you left me,_  
_I'm not pretending._  
_No hope, no love, no glory,_  
_No Happy Ending..."_

Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts. Keep your chin up and give Severus a hug! ;)


	17. Shattered

**Chapter 17**

**Shattered**

Severus returned to Hogwarts and attempted to throw himself into the classes he'd taught over and over, regardless of how dull and boring they were to him. He redoubled his efforts in trying to discover Black's whereabouts. He had sources and means that even Dumbledore was not aware of, owing to the fact of him being a Death Eater. Now the only drawback was actually being a Hogwarts. It would be nearly impossible to take leave whenever he needed to follow any leads, should a real one arise. Not that he'd received many plausible leads to begin with. But when and if he did, he would be more than willing to approach Dumbledore to ask permission for a short leave.

Working near that wolf, Lupin, did nothing but add to his ever growing malcontent and acerbic mood. He didn't trust the man but was forced to show the slightest of civility toward him when in the presence of others. And on top of everything, Dumbledore had asked Severus to provide the wolfman with the highly complex Wolfsbane Potion just before each full moon. It wasn't as if he was not up to the task of making it, he just didn't enjoy the wasted time and tedious labor he had to put into making it for a considered enemy.

The one and only thing that Severus did put off for any length of time was inquiring about finding another suitable place of lodging. He did not look forward to this task one iota. He, of course, had no regrets about how he'd left Caterina, although the thought of having made her cry did at times make him cringe. He just could not afford to set himself up for any rejection and disappointment that was sure to come from her in time toward him. Severus had finally resigned himself to the fact that it just would and could never be between them. He was the worst possible person in the world for her to be involved with - even if only as a friend. She deserved so much more than the highly flawed and despicable man such as he was. Caterina was a beauty rare as a person, and he could never provide her with near all that she was entitled to. And he assumed she had no trouble forgetting about him and moving on. Whatever happened now, she would be completely safe and happy in her life with him removed from it. Despite what he'd done though, he found, as the weeks passed, she was still tightly lingering in the deepest recesses of his mind and he held a tiny shimmer of a flicker in his heart for her.

Severus felt the school year seemed to drag itself along much slower than most other years. He attributed this to the fact of having the Dementors all around the castle grounds and the fact that he'd appeared to have hit a brick wall in any leads to Sirius Black. But that all changed on Halloween, as the daring murderer actually chanced fate to break into the castle in an attempt to get at Harry. All the students were confined to the Great Hall while the staff searched high and low for any remaining trace of Black. Severus knew they would find nothing but it gave him a few ideas of his own that he wanted to pursue as soon as possible.

The following week was anything but helpful as he had to take over several of Lupin's classes for him while he was recovering from the latest full moon. Having his own plans sidetracked like this and the additional class time with the mostly deficient children, his mood was frighteningly foul and terrifying. Though, mid-week he received a response to an inquiry he'd made, which led to an interesting possible tip, maybe the best one thus far. He would discuss his plan with Dumbledore after dinner.

When he called upon the headmaster, Dumbledore eyed him with a look of immense uncertainty and worry. Was it from the recent close-call of Black or something else that was bothering him? Severus pondered on this quickly but he chose to ignore it and get straight to his request. Just before coming, he had decided not to inform Dumbledore about his real reason for the request until he himself had confirmed it.

Severus got right to the point of his visit. "Headmaster, I was wondering if I might request a short leave of absence to take care of a personal matter over this upcoming weekend?"

The headmaster considered him for a long moment. "Severus, I assume this must be of great importance if you're asking to take leave the same weekend that Slytherin and Gryffindor are to kick off the start of the Quidditch season."

"Yes, it is." Severus nodded. "I have already considered that as well, and have spoken with Professor Sprout about switching. She assures me that her team is more than ready for the challenge. Plus, as you probably know, Malfoy could use more recovery time with his arm."

Dumbledore eyed him suspiciously over that last remark but quickly quipped, "Yes, yes. I'm certainly sure he could. Well, Severus it seems you have worked out all the details. And given the circumstances, I must say I was already anticipating your request. I am more than happy to grant it and hope everything turns out as well as can be expected."

Severus puzzled over his reply momentarily and then assigned it to Dumbledore's uncanny ability to read between the lines, along with his crazy hunches. But even still the headmaster was surveying him with great interest through his tiny glasses. Severus watched as he removed his spectacles and began to repeatedly wipe them clean with a little purple cloth in a most distracted manner.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Severus, when do you plan to leave and return?"

"Late Friday evening," began Severus, pausing to consider for a moment. "And I should return no later than Sunday evening. If anything should happen to detain me, I will be sure to owl you right away, though."

"Ah. Good, for I shall also be stepping out for a few hours as well on Sunday. I highly doubt Black will attempt anything again, so daring and so soon. However, I will prepare a bit of extra protection around the castle and grounds while we both are out as well as put Minerva on alert."

Severus was surprised to learn that the headmaster would be taking even a short leave, so soon after Black's successful break in, but it was not his place to question Dumbledore or his decisions.

The rest of the week dragged relentlessly on, no doubt by the added duty of teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts for Lupin. He showed no mercy on any of the classes, bestowing them all with his loathsome mood and his scathing remarks.

Finally, Friday evening arrived and Severus took off on his latest mission. The trail led him half way across the country, down to London and back over to the North Sea coast near Aberdeen, looping back to London before disappearing completely. In the end it afforded him nothing but an entirely wasted weekend full of false promises and dead ends. Quite disappointed, he returned late Sunday, with a note from Dumbledore awaiting him. The Headmaster wanted to see him when he had a free moment. Why not go now and get it over with, he thought.

Dumbledore was in a quiet somber mood. Something was definitely bothering the old man but Severus knew he would get nowhere if he did not want to discuss whatever the issue was. He took a seat opposite Dumbledore, who stared silently at him for a long while, before finally offering him some tea.

"Yes, thank you," Severus replied to his query.

Dumbledore quickly conjured a tea service, most assuredly holding one of his own special blends. Severus eyed the teacup as the old man handed it to him. It was the same set he'd conjured when they'd had tea with Caterina, back at Spinner's End last summer. His mind couldn't help but drift back there as well, for a few fleeting moments. Maybe it was because he was somewhat weary feeling after the long, exhausting and fruitless weekend, but there was a very soothing sensation that passed over him as he thought of her. He closed his eyes and took a sip of the tea. It was the _exact_ same blend and it triggered even more memories of Caterina to flood out, pouring into his mind and soul in an almost healing fashion.

Dumbledore rooted around in his desk, finally pulling out a rolled up newspaper. He again peered at Severus over his half-moon glasses now, as if he were pondering a deep puzzle.

At last Albus spoke. "I'll not beat 'round the shrivelfig, Severus... so I must say I was extremely surprised not to see you earlier this evening."

Severus raised a confused brow at the Headmaster, "And where would that have been?"

"At the Clarkstone funeral, my boy," came Dumbledore's quiet reply as he slowly unrolled the newspaper in his hand and laid it across his desk so Severus could easily read it.

Severus' heart skipped several beats as his black eyes widened and quickly took in the blazing, bold title that ran across the whole top, _**Is this the End of the Clarkstone Family Legacy?**_ At that, Severus' teacup shattered unexpectedly upon the floor as he lost his grip on it. It suddenly felt as though all his strength had been sucked directly out of his body, leaving his heart to quickly freeze and ice over. Fear held him. A violent, stabbing kind of personal and very real fear that he had not felt in many years. He startled sharply and snatched the paper purposefully off the desk.

Tucked up by the title were several photos that he eyes volleyed back and forth over; one of Caterina's mother, one of a horrid-looking pile of mangled and melted metal and lastly, one of sweet Caterina, who seemed to smile up at him with her usual radiance. But it was the middle picture of the mangled mess – which was obviously a terrible accident that from which no one could have possibly survived – that one kept drawing back his eyes and was causing a sickness deep within his soul.

When he could no longer handle the sight of the photos, his eyes retreated to read the article that lay beneath them. It did nothing but only heighten the extreme stress and panic he was feeling within his now highly tense body.

"_Once again, death has unleashed its accursed hand, and dealt yet another gruesomely painful blow to the ever dwindling Clarkstone family. It has been reported that in the early evening hours of Saturday, October the thirty-first, a helicopter piloted by Jeffery Goins and carrying Mrs. Susannah Clarkstone, wife of the late Charles Clarkstone, suffered a malfunction of an undetermined nature and crashed in an open field, mid-way home on a return trip from London. There were no survivors. It was also first reported that Caterina Clarkstone, daughter of the now late Charles and Susannah Clarkstone__,__ was also aboard and perished as well in the crash. _

_A correction to that claim was quickly issued by the current CEO of Clarkstone and Company and family spokesman Jamison Lahey, stating that Caterina Clarkstone was actually at home at Clarkstone Mansion when the horrific disaster occurred. He asked that in light of all that has happened to the family, and out of respect for Caterina, that all inquiries be forwarded to the main company office and for everyone to leave her to grieve in peace. Of course, despite that statement, there have been many news crews and journalists camped just off the Clarkstone property, waiting with baited breath to capture the latest, most up to date news and photos on the well-being of the now only remaining Clarkstone member, Caterina.  
_

_Numerous and questionable reports have been circulating about her, stating anything from the possibility of Caterina being under a twenty-four hour suicide watch at a secure mental facility to others claiming that it is all just a cover-up to hide the fact she really did perish in the fiery crash with her mother, in Mr. Lahey's bid to seize the entire wealthy Clarkstone estate and along with all its many assets..."_

Severus found the paper now oddly shaking but quickly realized it was actually his own two hands causing it. His eyes blinked rapidly as they searched about the Headmaster's office, while his mind tried to wildly make sense of what he had just read. He dropped the newspaper to his lap, unable to finish the article at the present, while he closed his eyes and fiercely gripped the bridge of his nose in desperation to remain calm. When he looked up again, he found Dumbledore's head bowed slightly, yet his keen and watchful eyes highly attuned to Severus and his actions.

"I now take it you were uninformed of this and that your personal matter really was something _personal_ and unrelated to visiting Ms. Clarkstone?" Dumbledore asked in a soft, caring tone.

"Yes," replied Severus in an almost inaudible voice.

Severus knew Dumbledore would never attempt to question exactly what the Potions Master's personal matter was and for that he was suddenly grateful for that respect afforded him. He now decided he would not reveal anything of his utterly wasted weekend. He wanted to forget it completely and wholly, as so many more important questions about Caterina devoured his mind. Severus wasn't sure where to start. He now understood his previous conversation with the Headmaster in full clarity. And he now knew where it was that Dumbledore had stepped out to earlier in the day. Severus also understood now why he had expected him to have been there, for he had never taken the liberty of informing him of having severed all ties with Caterina.

"How... how is she?" Severus could barely manage of Dumbledore.

The old man looked gravely serious and sadly shook his head from side to side."How well can one really be when they have lost each member of their entire family under such tragic circumstances? Although the paper's report is very inaccurate of her supposed mental breakdown, she is of course none the less very shattered as a whole and will be for quite awhile."

Dumbledore let out a sigh, before continuing. "And contrary to the reports of Mr. Lahey being so vile, he is in fact, actually the only thing keeping her afloat and trying to hold the pieces together for the time being. No doubt she will experience many stages of deep grief at the catastrophic losses she had faced in her short life, from this event. I do wonder how she will fair. Mr. Lahey expressed his concerns over her well-being to a degree during my visit, where I offered both of our sympathies and condolences. I hope that is agreeable to you that I took such liberties in doing so?"

Dumbledore paused as his eyes searched Severus' face. Severus was, for once, only too glad of the Headmaster's thoughtfulness at including him and he nodded his approval.

"Thank you, Albus."

"From my own observations, Caterina appeared to be lost in a great fog and only mildly aware of what was going on around her. When I addressed her, it appeared as though she were looking right through me. Her usual sparkling eyes were hollow and lost looking." Dunbledore pushed his spectacles up slightly and went on, speaking. "With what she has experienced, one can understand her feeling and need to almost detach herself from the life around her at the moment. Kind of like a protective failsafe mechanism for a bit of self-preservation."

Severus nodded again in agreement, while in his own mind he began to formulate a plan, any plan that would allow him to see her. He had been such a fool! He'd slowly begun to realize that in the past few weeks but now he saw it with such crystalline clarity now. He found himself burning with a strangely intense desire to comfort her and help her through this. Severus had no idea how to approach these feelings but he pledged to himself that he would make every attempt to rectify things with Caterina and be the friend he would not allow himself to be before. Somehow, he would and could figure this out, for her sake.

"Severus, I am assuming that you would like to request a second leave?" inquired the headmaster.

"Yes, that is correct," Severus nodded, taking a deep breath to steady his thoughts.

"Might I advise you to give her a few weeks before doing so? Generally it's during the first few weeks after the loss of a loved one that a person receives the most support. But after the first month is when it seems like everyone else moves on with their lives and the griever often feels left alone by the wayside. According to our schedules, things should hopefully be light around the first weekend of December. Would that be acceptable to you?"

As much as Severus hated to put seeing her off, he knew there was some truth to be taken with what Dumbledore had offered. And it would give him some time to figure out how to be her friend, possibly even a real one this time.

"I guess that will be agreeable." He looked down again at the paper lying in his lap and collecting it, made to hand it back to Dumbledore.

"No, you keep it. There are several articles about the family that may be of some interest to you."

Severus again nodded his thanks and slowly rose to leave. His eyes caught the bits of broken teacup still on the floor but with a knowing wink from Dumbledore, they flew back together and disappeared altogether. Severus was almost to the door when the Headmaster called out to him one last time.

"Severus, might I offer you one final bit of advice? You may choose to close your eyes to all the things around you that you don't want to see, but you cannot close your heart to the things you do not want to feel." Dumbledore offered him a warm smile. "In other words, feelings are not in any way supposed to be logical. It's a very dangerous habit to get into, when one tries hard to rationalize away his emotions and feelings for others. Remember that."

"Goodnight, Headmaster." Severus quickly left as Dumbledore's words echoed strangely within him.

It wasn't until later that Severus slowly perceived anything from them though. Then he started to see something there in their meaning - he would have to risk the possibility of encountering unwanted feelings to be able to also embrace the pleasant ones as well. The burning question that haunted him over the next few weeks was whether or not Caterina would have any pleasant feelings toward him ever again, especially after what he had done to her.

* * *

A/N: Seriously, how much more can Caterina take in her life? And can Severus really figure out how to be there for her, now that he realizes he's done the wrong thing? Be sure to send poor Cat some hugs, she needs them... :(

Big thank you hugs to my readers for the continual encouragement and wonderful support!


	18. What Have I Done?

**Chapter 18**

**What Have I Done?**

Obviously, Severus channeled an even darker mood after having learned about Caterina, causing him to strike out at any and all students over the next few weeks. Suddenly, why he left her like he did made no sense at all and he was unsure of why he'd ever decided on that course of action. The longing urge to go to her and to try to, in some small way, comfort her grew deeper with each passing day. He couldn't begin to imagine what a terrible shock this must be for her, for Severus had never experienced a close relationship with his own family, nor did he mourn the loss of them. There was only relief when his horrid father passed and only a brief sorrow at his mother's death.

The only thing he could be sure of was that Caterina had to be completely and utterly devastated – shattered, as Dumbledore had put it. Her entire family was now gone, she was alone, with only Jamison left. Severus knew Jamison would do anything and everything to help Caterina through this and, for once, even though he didn't like the man, that brought him a small amount of comfort. Still, he wanted to be there for her as well, and as soon as possible. Many times, he came close to disregarding Dumbledore's suggestion of which weekend would work best for him to go and to be away from Hogwarts. Yet, he honestly had no idea what he could do for her if he went. A very tiny part of him argued that he should just remain gone and absent from her life now, as he had intended, to let her go on blissfully without the intrusion of him on her life ever again. But he knew her life was far from anything blissful and that it would never be possible to stay away from her; he was pulled in too deeply now.

A new worry started and soon grew to a large, weighty matter in his heart and mind. Would she even accept seeing him after how he'd treated her only a few months earlier? At best, she might not talk and, if so, he could still at least be there with her for a little while, to show her he cared. And at worst, she could refuse to see him and order him to leave. Which was it to be? Well, whatever the cost, he would make his wrong right again. He would show her he could be a real friend. And he knew for sure, he would need to be in extreme control of his temper and work on his patience when in her presence.

Finally, the first Saturday in December arrived. Severus left the castle grounds well before daylight broke. He disapparated to near his own house and wandered about, waiting for dawn to come and contemplating what he could maybe say or do for her. He'd read all the articles in the newspaper that dealt with the Clarkstone family until he'd almost had them memorized. Severus gained much more insight and understanding into what all had befallen the Clarkstone family over the years.

When he thought the time was finally of an appropriate hour, he approached the mansion and rang the bell. As he waited, he realized that, of all things, he was actually somewhat nervous, a feeling very foreign to him. The usual housekeeper answered the door promptly. He could tell by one look at her face that this death had affected everyone involved to some degree and not just Caterina, though it was she who he cared about only.

The older lady gave him a weak smile. "Oh, hello Mr. Snape. Do come in."

"Thank you," he said and nodded as politely as he could manage.

She led him into a large, exquisitely decorated living room, an area of the house he had never been in before. His dark eyes quickly searched around for Caterina but they found only Jamison. He was on the phone, standing with his back turned toward them, until the housekeep gave a tiny cough. He turned swiftly, first with a confused look on his face that quickly gave way to a thoughtful smile and a welcoming nod. Jamison quietly ended his conversation, set the phone down and focused his full attention on Severus.

Jamison seemed to ponder the dark-clad man standing across from him for almost a full minute before speaking. To Jamison, he looked greatly concerned and he felt touched by the fact that he had taken the time to visit. But would it actually help her, Jamison wondered? He sure hoped so, because nothing else appeared to have, up to now.

"It was very good of you to stop by," said Jamison, reaching out to shake his hand.

"It's the first chance I've had to get away. I am sorry to have not been able to make the trip with ahh, Mr. Dumbledore. How is she, Mr. Lahey?"

"Oh, please call me Jamison. While the place may look it, but we've never really been that formal around here."

Jamison gave a sad shake of his head, letting out an exhausted sounding sigh as he dropped into the nearest armchair. He motioned for Severus to have a seat, to which he stepped forward and chose the closest armchair, opposite Jamison. Severus settled down carefully, sitting erect and at attention to listen to whatever Jamison may share regarding Caterina.

"She's out at the moment. Wandering around, I suppose. She's taken to doing that a lot of late. So much so that I've hired two bodyguards to follow her at all times. I know she hates it and wants to be completely alone but I refuse to allow her that. They know to keep a large but reasonable distance and not to engage with her unless absolutely necessary. It's the only thing that will give me any peace of mind. If something else, if anything happened to her...," he closed his eyes, unable to finish.

Jamison paused before continuing, "She's just utterly broken. Broken and lost. And it's hard to get into that little head of hers, with all she's been through. She puts up walls, faster than anyone can attempt to scale them. She's had to deal," he shook his head sadly, "with too much, way too much in her lifetime, but, in the past, she's always pulled through, showing amazing strength at times... for the whole family even. But I've never seen her like this. _Never_. Caterina's completely lost and alone."

Severus wondered if Jamison had had a chance to talk to anyone else like this, as it sounded like the man was just letting it all go and confiding in him, of all people. And from the look in his eyes, he was clearly worried and at a total loss himself. Normally, anything remotely close to dealing with anyone's emotional state would send Severus fleeing. He was in no way given to letting emotions rule one's self, unless it was anger - for that emotion he knew well and understood. But he also knew he would have to be very tolerant of all sorts of emotions for Caterina's sake. Severus could for her but only for her. He watched as Jamison shifted in his seat and clasped his hands behind his head.

"Cat and I have always been close, and I've usually been able to get her to talk after time. Now she seems to have sealed up tight, won't talk, barely eats; her sleep is, of course, very erratic, with those damned nightmares bothering her again. There are times when her emotions appear so close to the surface that I'm afraid she's just about to burst from the force of them and at other times, she's remarkably calm but so distant." Jamison closed his eyes and rubbed his temples fiercely, "I did fear briefly, that she might even be on the verge of becoming suicidal, but I've talked with the doctor and the grief specialist several times and they're not concerned about that. They said she is just experiencing very deep and possibly long, intense stages of grief."

Severus was taken aback at this and interjected, "How can they be sure? Did _they_ talk with her?"

"No, as she flatly refuses to do so. But the other night she had what they called a _massive _breakthrough and think that she has moved past the denial stage and is embracing and working through her anger stage now."

"Embracing it like how?" Severus asked hestiantly.

Jamison suddenly stood, "Here, follow me. I'll show you."

Severus followed him through several hallways and doorways. Along the way, he pointed out a giant dent in one wall, stating that it had just appeared recently and he was sure Cat threw something at it to cause it. He continued to walk, leading him toward the back part of the house he was slightly more familiar with. Jamison stopped, opened a windowed door and threw on the lights. It was Caterina's ballet studio. Or at least what used to be the ballet studio, as now every single inch of the wall-lined mirrors were cracked and shattered, with most of the broken glass strewn across the entire floor of the room. The mirrors were all shattered, just like Caterina was, and, to him, it looked more like a massive breakdown, not a breakthrough. He wildly turned toward Jamison.

"How...? Is she...?" Severus stopped short, as all he could envision was Caterina lying among the broken glass, terribly cut up and in a pool of her own blood.

Jamison gave a slight smile and held up a hand as he read a small hint of panic on Severus' face.

"She's fine, just fine. Shheesh... looking at this you wouldn't believe it to be so, but all she managed was a small cut on her hand. And the _how_ – well, with this."

Jamison walked a few feet over toward the center of the room and picked up a long, skinny stick with a clubbed end from off the floor for Severus to see. It was metal and slightly bent-looking in places. It would have done the job quite nicely.

"My favorite golf club driver, actually, but rather the club any day, though, than her little fists... it can easily be replaced hundreds of times over..." Jamison mused.

Severus had heard of golf but he didn't really know much about it, or care. But yes, he agreed that anything was far better than her sweet little hands. As he surveyed the damaged room, he couldn't help but remember the faint memory of a dream he'd once had, where all the mirrors in this room had shattered and flown at him. Severus gave a small shiver at the memory.

"I've got to tell you when I found her in here amongst all this glass, I thought the very worst. I hadn't seen her for several hours and asked Ellie, the housekeeper, about her. She said Cat had muttered something about ballet and just assumed she was going to practice. I lit into a panic though – oddly enough - and I still have no idea as to why, but Caterina gave up daily ballet practicing for some reason back at the end of August. I questioned her a few times and she would never give me a direct answer, other than it just didn't make her happy anymore. In all honesty, she really acted strange from mid-August on, well into September... I never could pin down why, though."

However, Severus was struck with an idea of why. A terribly obvious idea that told him it was because of him and his leaving. Apparently, she had never told anyone about it, or he highly doubted that Jamison would have allowed him back in the house and near her. Had he upset her that much by refusing her as a friend and walking out of her life? And so much so that he had taken away with him some of her own joys in life, in the process? What had he done to her? He'd tried to just assume that she would move on but deep down he knew better. He himself hadn't been able to completely let go and move on, so how much more had it affected her? Oh, what _had_ he done?

The two men stood there, both silent, staring around at all the damage done by one very broken young woman, a woman that they both greatly cared for, in similar and yet, very different ways. Would she let both or either of them help her pick up the pieces? Jamison let the club drop to the floor. It gave an eerie and hallow sounding echo as it hit.

Jamison followed it with his eyes and stared sadly at it as he went on quietly, "I found her in here, sitting all crumpled in the middle of this... this mess, miraculously unscathed. She just offered me the club, said she was sorry, it wasn't anything personal, just that it was the closest, handy thing."

"Then she looked at me and just as pointedly and as plain as anything told me she wondered how long the family had been cursed and if it would only break with her own death. It was after that when she just broke down and started sobbing. It was terrible to see. I had to carry her out of here. God – she just clung to me and begged me not to leave her as well, like everyone else has. She went on like that for hours - a mess, a complete sobbing mess."

Severus could have sworn someone shoved a very blunt knife, deep into his beating heart. He even glanced down sharply at his chest to double check. He closed his eyes and pressed his fingertips deep against his forehead, shaking his head.

Jamison watched him closely. This tall, quiet man appeared to have a very genuine and deep concern for Caterina. He realized suddenly, that he had been wrong about him when he'd judged him to be like his father and cautioned her about him. Maybe she would do well to have him around and in her life right now. Maybe Severus could help her in ways that he had been unable to.

"I apologize for taking your time and throwing this all at you Severus, I know you stopped by to see Caterina but –"

Severus held up his hand. "No. I asked because I wanted to know. It helps to understand things better, knowing – "

"But are you sure _you_ can handle this? I mean, well, what I'm wondering is if you think you can deal with her and not let it get to _you, _personally. Caterina has been outright nasty to a few others who have stopped by, as well as to me on occasion. I can't say that she won't be the same toward you for a while."

"It's hard not to take it personally, but you've got to understand it's more - more... like a defensive thing. She's shutting out others now, to protect herself from any more hurt and pain. If you can't deal with that... you know, and think you need to walk away instead, and not come back – well, I'd rather you just not even see her at all. It would be too much for her. You understand what I'm trying to say?"

Severus fixed his dark eyes, staring unflinchingly into Jamison's with a fierce determination. "I assure you, I am in no way about to walk out on her."

"_Again. Never again," _Severus added to himself.

* * *

A short while later, Severus found himself at the entrance to the nature park. Jamison had phoned one of the bodyguards to find out where she was. He'd informed them that a friend of Caterina's would be coming along soon to see her, and that they didn't need to let her know though. Severus was actually beginning to like Jamison, despite his first impressions of the man. They shared a mutual interest with their care and concerns about Caterina.

His searching black eyes found Caterina sitting on a swing, facing toward the little stream. Then Severus quickly spotted the two men assigned to keep watch over her and was glad to see they were positioned well out of earshot from her. Not that it even mattered, as he could easily throw a couple of silencing and distraction charms around them. The two men nodded at him as he passed and took liberty to retreat even further away from her now.

His approach was absolutely silent. She was just sitting on the swing, barely moving, with one hand holding the chain, while her head rested against it. There was one other swing, empty beside her.

Severus stopped by it and spoke the first thing that came to his mind. "Is this swing taken?"

She didn't flinch or even look up. "I'd prefer to be left alo– "

Caterina stopped short and glanced up quickly, as she recognized his voice, he figured. But she turned away from him just as quickly, giving a little shake of her head and a disgusted sounding sigh. In that brief moment, he saw the brokenness upon her blue eyes and face. She looked paler than he remembered and her vivid and beautiful blue eyes appeared to have lost most of their lustre and shine. He felt an ache in his own heart, seeing her so sad.

Buttoning up his long, black wool coat, Severus sat down on the swing anyway, wondering when the last time he'd done such. Probably when he was around six years old. Well, his long legs had no trouble reaching the ground now, though he didn't even care what he must look like. There would be no one seeing him like this but her.

"Caterina, – " he started but she interrupted him.

"What? What can I do for you, Mr. Snape?" she asked bitterly, yet with an air of extremely false kindness.

That was fair, he thought, as he had so coldly used her formal name when they last spoke. "Caterina, I'm sorry – "

"Oh you are? For what? For feeling the need to come back and irritate me some more? Haven't you already made your thoughts plain about me and this town? I got that message, loud and clear, if you remember. So why are you here? Weren't you going to mail everything? Or is it that the parcel service is not into delivering the witty, cutting remarks to your liking, so you chose to deliver them in person?"

"Caterina, _please_! Let me – " Severus started.

"Why? Why should I? So we're back to first names, again? Sorry, guess I missed the newsflash on that one. Probably because they don't broadcast them over in _my world, _that's so different than _yours._"

With that, she gave a sharp kick at the ground, stood up and strode away toward the path that followed along beside the stream, leading deep into the now barren woods. Severus shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose tightly in an effort to remain calm and controlled, while he thought desperately for a new tactic. Well, at least she wasn't running away; she wasn't even walking fast, he noticed. So he caught up with her in about five long strides of his own. Caterina didn't acknowledge his presence beside her; instead she kept her head bent down, eyes on the ground and her arms crossed against her chest, while she walked.

Severus couldn't help but look her over and stare in wonder at her, beautiful as always. She was wearing a long, chocolate-colored wool coat that buttoned down the front. And on her hands were a pair of knit, light turquoise and chocolate striped gloves with a matching scarf wound around her neck. She wore a pair of her usual muggle jeans along with dark brown boots on her feet. Her hair was loose and soft curls played around her pretty face in the light, winter winds. Severus caught a whiff of her delicious scent and realized, yet again, it was slightly changed. More amber-scented once again but with touches of patchouli and something almost citrus-like. Watching her and smelling her made him realize just how much he'd truly missed her and how much harder he wanted to fight for her to give him another chance at being friends. Just friends. There could never be anything more on her part, of that he was sure.

"Caterina, stop. Just stop and give me a chance to explain. Please?"

Severus suddenly realized the tables had flipped and now their roles were reversed from their last meeting. It was now him pleading with her to stop and listen while she flung out the harsh, cutting jabs. After a few moments though, she finally stopped on the path but without turning or looking up at him.

"Caterina, I realized far– far too late, that how I left you in August... well, it wasn't what I... not at all how I meant to leave things between us. I – this is the first chance I've had to get back here and talk to you, and tell you – I want, well, I'd like for us to... for you to give me another chance to be your... your friend. I know the timing is horrible on my part. But do you think... could you forgive me?"

It wasn't easy to get it all out by any means, because, as a rule, Severus never apologized to anyone and he most certainly never asked anyone for forgiveness. She was the one and only person in the world to know that there was another side to him like that. Another side to him that had only begun to develop after meeting her. Severus barely knew that side himself. It only ever appeared for her and somehow, through it, Severus forced himself to speak the truth to her, as much as he was able. He waited and watched her for any sign of response. All she did was drop her arms down and stuff her little, gloved hands into her coat pockets. At last, she slowly looked up at him and held his gaze for the briefest of moments before shifting it and looking on past him at the icy stream.

"I really don't know," came her quiet reply after a long wait.

Severus closed his eyes at that. It was not at all what he wanted to hear but at least it wasn't a flat out rejection of no. As he watched her again, she stood with her eyes so completely fixed on something behind him that he himself turned to seek out what it could possibly be. All he could find was woods and stream, until he narrowed his gaze to the area just before them. Suddenly, he thought he knew what she was seeing, though he did not want to acknowledge it and he hoped that she would not bring it up either.

Caterina let out a long, deep sigh, "You know I can't help but wonder at times if maybe I should have been the first."

"What exactly do you mean?" he asked, as he wasn't following her thinking.

"That maybe you _weren't_ supposed to save me that day I fell through the ice here, all those years ago."

Severus closed his eyes for a moment and cringed internally. How could she possibly think that? He snapped back around to face her and suddenly grabbed her cold chin between his warm hands, carefully tilting it up, to force her to look at him.

"Don't you dare say that, Caterina," Severus began in a sharp tone. "That's not at all true! It was never your fault that you even went out onto the ice that day, it was mine, mine alone for being a stupid, bullying boy to you."

"_Much like I was to you in August_," he bitterly added in thought.

She dropped her gaze from him and quickly backed away from out of his grip, almost as if she was burned by his touch. Caterina shuddered violently and closed her eyes as a tear escaped from the corner of her right eye. Severus didn't know what he should do, although he knew he desperately wanted to kiss the tear away and pull her into his arms, never letting her go again. But was she now repulsed by his very touch? He tried to think of other options as he anxiously watched her movements. He could secretly conjure a tissue for her behind his back, maybe. Then, before another thought passed through his mind, he reached over, picked up the end of her scarf and used that to gently wipe away the tear.

Caterina shivered a little and gave a tiny sniff, causing him to wonder how long she had been out roaming today. Although he didn't ever mind the cold much, it would not help if she got herself sick, on top of everything else she was dealing with.

"Come on, Caterina. You've got to be freezing, let's get you back inside," he offered softly.

Caterina did not utter a word but she slowly turned around to follow the path in the opposite direction now, heading for the main road. He wanted to put his arm around her and draw her close to him to keep her warm, though he wasn't about to push his luck. Severus understood he was treading on some very thin ice with her. He stayed close beside her but made sure he did not touch her in the slightest. It was going to take a long time for the damage he'd caused to heal, on top of all the other hurting she was dealing with. He knew he wasn't going to give up, though.

"Caterina?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry about... about your mother. If there's anything I can do..." Severus' deep voice drifted off, as he was unsure of what else to say.

Caterina dropped her eyes to the ground again. Severus would leave it at that. He didn't want to press the issue and get her worked up.

When they returned to the mansion, Jamison simply nodded and raised an appraising eyebrow at him, most likely for bringing her back by himself. Severus noticed that the two bodyguards had returned before them. He had a feeling Jamison may have played a hand in that and he was grateful for the trust that it showed he had in him. After all, they barely knew each other.

They all followed as Caterina made her way toward the grand staircase. She stopped on the bottom step and turned, giving them all a funny look, while unbuttoning her coat. It probably was a bit overwhelming, seeing the four grown men following behind her.

Jamison broke the odd silence. "What were you planning on doing now? Cook was inquiring about dinner schedules."

Caterina's blue eyes flitted around to each of them before she answered. "I was planning on taking a bubble bath, to warm up."

"Ok, I'll let her know."

Severus took that as his cue to leave. "Caterina, take care. I'll see you later this month."

"Will you_ really_?" she asked him almost sarcastically.

"_Yes_, I'll be back over the holiday break."

_"Whether or not you want me around,"_ Severus added to himself as he pulled his lips into a small smile for her.

"Hmphf," came her only reply to that.

Then she started up the steps again, with one of the bodyguards tagging along behind her. Caterina stopped again about half way up and looked at him stupidly.

"Umm... what exactly do you think _you're_ doing?" she asked him rather rudely.

"Just following you, ma'am."

"Yeah. So I don't remember inviting _you_ to take a bubble bath with me, as I think I'm quite capable of not drowning in the bathtub. Somehow, I seem to have managed without any help all these years, but if I do have any trouble, _you_ wouldn't be who I'd call anyway. So get lost!"

Jamison and the other remaining bodyguard were both trying hard to stifle their snickers at this. Severus himself was quite amused but kept it from showing upon his face. The affronted man turned rather crimson as Caterina shot Severus the tiniest of knowing glances and continued up the stairs alone.

* * *

A/N: Ok, first of all, the mental image of a very grown Severus sitting on a swing - cracks me up! He's got his work cut out for him as he tries and break through to poor Caterina, ya think? But the point is, is that Severus now finally realizes he needs to and wants to try!

Good song for this chapter and what partly inspired the title - _What Have You Done?_ by Within Temptation. Hugs to you all for stopping in to read! :)


	19. Anything For You

**Chapter 19**

**Anything for You**

Before Severus left the mansion, Jamison took him aside to talk once more. "Well, I must say, all in all, that went quite pleasantly," chuckled Jamison. "How was she toward you at the park?"

Severus gave a slight shrug of his shoulders, unsure of how to answer that question exactly. Pleasant was far from how he would have chosen to describe her reception toward him. While she had not been terrible either, it was anything short of pleasant. He, of course, had no idea of what to expect from her to begin with, though she actually treated him better than he deserved to be treated, in his own opinion. Caterina had certainly been tolerable, but far from the sweet, gentle Caterina he'd come to know. Jamison must have read the slight confusion on Severus' face over his own choice of words and started to explain.

"Yes, well... she was very pleasant, considering. You see, last week, Alex Danson stopped by - the guy she sang with at the concert last summer? Anyway, she barely acknowledged him and only after about ten minutes of awkwardness, she got up, started to leave the room, stopping long enough at the doorway to tell me to be sure to put the 'trash' out as soon as possible. Alex just got up and stormed out himself, as she stood there and laughed, quite manically, for a few moments."

Severus raised a brow in shock, trying to imagine Caterina acting so harshly toward anyone. But then again, it was only that wretch, Alex, whom he knew she did not especially care for. There was no real loss there. Jamison looked amused himself, and Severus had a feeling he also knew how Caterina felt about that wretch.

Jamison leaned against the wall and continued, "Then a few days ago, King popped up from London to see her. Not sure you know him - tall, outgoing and friendly black man? Probably not. Anyway, he brought her a beautiful bouquet of flowers. While she was more civil to him, she still only tolerated him for maybe twenty minutes as best."

"Thankfully, he's the sort of gentleman who realized it on his own and made his visit brief." Jamison grinned and shook his head. "After he left, for some reason she felt the need to decapitate all the flowers in the bouquet, quite viciously and all the while appearing rather gratified over it."

Severus pondered these reactions of Caterina. Maybe pleasant wasn't so wrong of a choice to describe her, after all? They had spent well over an hour together, albeit, a mostly silent hour. But how would she react once he was gone today and she was alone?

Jamison began to discuss when Severus might be returning for another visit. He actually acted almost eager and anxious that Severus had declared that he would be doing so.

"You know, Severus, if it would work into your schedule, anytime right around Christmas would be great. I'm not exactly sure how well the whole holiday thing is going to go over and also with her birthday coming up..."

In the end, it was decided that Severus would stop by again on December twenty-seventh. Jamison gave him a hearty handshake and clapped him on the arm, obviously very happy now with how things appeared to be shaping up. Before long, Severus found himself back in the cold, though his mind was far too preoccupied to notice or even care. He paused, giving a noticeably wistful, yet longing glance toward the second floor windows that he knew to be Caterina's. And for once, his keen and careful dark eyes did not catch the sad blue eyes watching his exit, as they followed after himfrom a different window.

* * *

Despite the dark grief that had consumed her, Caterina actually felt the tiniest bit intrigued by Severus' visit. Of course, he had been the very last person on earth that she had ever expected to show up. She'd simply resigned herself to the fact she would never see or hear from him again. But her feelings and emotions were too overcome with her own despondency to honestly determine what she felt over his appearance.

What she could manage to gather within herself, was that she didn't know if she even wanted to care about him anymore. She was unwilling to risk anything on him for the present, of that she was very sure. Yet, for reasons unknown to herself, she found a small amount of comfort while she had been in his presence. It was as if he helped to shield the rawest of emotions within her from boiling to the surface and overwhelming her.

And at the same time, she could not dare dwell on the fact he said he would return soon. Caterina was not about to set herself up for any disappointments. She continued to carry on as she had, from hour to hour and day to day, waiting for the pain to recede, even if only by a fraction. All she could manage any hope for was that, possibly, with time and effort, the many tattered holes in her heart and soul would begin to figure out how to mend themselves.

* * *

The next few weeks at Hogwarts surprised Severus by passing expeditiously, until most every student had taken leave, bound for home. The holiday break now upon him, he could devote all his time to the quandary of dealing with Caterina. He never really enjoyed any holidays, though he could always appreciate the breaks they brought from the classes and the irksome children.

While his time was being devoted to piecing together any form of strategy he could imagine, he found himself continually coming back to the 'what ifs' and no matter how he tried to push them away, they gnawed at his heart, multiplying and growing in magnitude. What if she refused to see him this next time? What if she never got over her grief? What if she never gave him another chance? And the very worst 'what if' - what if something happened to Caterina herself?

Severus had discovered no answers to his dilemma and, before he knew it, he found himself in the Great Hall, ready to partake in the Christmas feast with Dumbledore and several fellow staff members, as well as the handful of children who had remained behind. He could feel and entirely loathed Dumbledore's watchful eyes boring into him, all the while, shining and twinkling at him while he swapped his wizard hat with the new prize one - damn that man and his accursed Christmas crackers! Severus fought hard to not allow the distraction of visiting Caterina to completely overtake him just yet, so he could muddle through the meal.

The old headmaster was certainly jovial enough for everyone, which irritated Severus to no end. How dare anyone be happy while sweet Caterina was so desperately hurting? This mealtime would prove most obnoxious to endure, but once over, he would leave immediately for Spinner's End. And in another day, he would see Caterina again, hopefully.

* * *

While Severus waited for the door to open, he puzzled over whether or not Jamison might have prepared Caterina for his visit that morning by telling her, or if he'd left it a total surprise. He assumed the man would know which was the best for her to handle. He'd know presently, as the door opened before him and he found Jamison staring at him.

There was an odd look upon his face that sent Severus' heart into a downward spin. "Severus! I'd almost forgotten. How are you? Come on in!"

Well, that answered a question or two, Severus thought. Jamison led him into the same lavish living room and offered him a seat.

"Sorry to say – you've caught me in a most perplexed state. I just found out my sister is going into labor, almost a month early. It's their first and Caterina is insistent that I go visit her in London, but well, I've got some reservations about leaving Cat alone, you know. While she's been improving, however, I just... I just don't know if it's a good idea to leave her to herself for even a day or two, just yet," he finished, shrugging his shoulders and frowning. "Most of the household staff is away for the holidays and she finally convinced me to let Tweedledee and Tweedledum go for awhile."

Jamison snickered at the expression on Severus' face over that. "That's what she's taken to calling the bodyguards. She's still very quiet most of the time but I can see a slight change in her behavior, and though she's far from being whole, Cat's made a few steps in the right direction these past few weeks. It seems like she's finally trying, even if only a little." He paused, "Hmh... so hard to believe it'll be two months at the end of the week."

Jamison titled his head and stared at Severus suddenly, with a quizzical look for a minute, while it was evident that his mind was whirling with ideas. He couldn't believe what he was actually thinking but for some strange reason, Jamison realized he placed a large amount of trust and respect in Severus Snape. Maybe Caterina had been right about him after all, in that he was nothing like his low-life father.

"You don't by chance... No, no, I couldn't ask it– " he stopped short, shaking his head.

"Ask what?" Severus inquired cautiously.

"Well, it's just that if you were free over the next day or two, I'd be ok leaving if you checked in on her, but well, really I could not impose on you like that. After all, it's the holidays and I'm sure you have family to see and whatnot while you're on break from teaching..."

"I really have no plans." Severus answered automatically.

"Really? And you would actually consider doing that for Caterina? You don't have to stay here but honestly, you could, there's plenty of guest rooms. So if it would be easier for you, you're certainly more than welcome."

"That would be acceptable," Severus replied.

Severus never would have offered to do so of his own accord, but something flickered inside him all at once, telling him to agree to what Jamison was asking. He literally made up his mind in a matter of seconds, without even fully realizing to what he was agreeing to, and he didn't care. That absolutely went against his character but it just seemed like too good of an opportunity to let pass by him. He was, however, aware enough to hope it would be a means to an end in helping mend his rift with Caterina. Severus resolved to be on his best behavior, no matter how she might act and to remain calm, controlled and as well-mannered as much as he was able.

Jamison tapped a thoughtful finger against his own chin, "Now, how to break it to Caterina so she doesn't flip out and accuse me of getting her a 'babysitter' so to speak. Hmm..."

In the end, Severus was left out of the conversation entirely, of which he was very glad, while Jamison went in search of her and laid down the 'law' as he put it. He claimed she just stared at him for a full minute, rolled her eyes and muttered something to the effect of "whatever you think you need to do, Jamison."

Severus left for about an hour to collect a few belongings for the next few days. After he conjured a bag to hold his things, as well as a few magical books and various potions, he Disapparated to just outside the mansion's side entrance.

Jamison showed him to a tastefully decorated room with a bathroom that was situated on the same hallway, across and down a door from Caterina's bedroom. Then he gave him a quick tour through several areas of the mansion he'd never seen. Most interestingly, there was a massive library that opened up into the third floor above it, just next to the office Caterina had taken him into last summer, and a huge glass-enclosed patio with a pool at the rear of the mansion. Jamison also informed him that the ballet studio was back in working order, with unbreakable mirrors this time. In all their wanderings through the house, though, Severus had yet to catch a glimpse of Caterina.

Once more he found himself in the formal living room, while Jamison spouted off a few bits of information and handed him a paper with his mobile phone number on it, in case anything happened.

"Oh, by the way, just try your best to ignore the music. She's been prone to blast some pretty dark and heavy sounding stuff at times. Not her normal style of music, but I've just learned to tolerate it for the time being, hoping it will pass with time. And don't worry about her falling asleep on the couch in the office. She does that quite often. And don't be surprised if you don't see her much. Oh and – bloodly hell! I'm sorry!" Jamison slapped his hand against his forehead. "I'll just stop at that. It's beginning to sound like I'm leaving you in charge of an unruly teenager. Everything will be just fine, I'm sure. I just don't want her alone. Cook and Ellie, the housekeeper, will of course be in and out, should you need help finding anything."

Finally, Severus was perusing around in the library while Jamison went off to pack his own bags. It was midday and Jamison hoped to be on the road within the hour. Only when Jamison was getting ready to head out the door, did Caterina make her first appearance. Severus suspected she might have just been in her room all this time, though he wasn't entirely sure. He'd heard a slight noise and looked up to see her coming down the grand staircase. Jamison had been right; there was something about her countenance that appeared more stable and coping.

Severus couldn't help but stare appraisingly at her in her tight dark, muggle jeans and a rather tight lavender-colored long-sleeved shirt. It hugged her curves perfectly, a little too perfectly, he thought, inhaling slowly and deeply, trying to fight off a burning desire, growing deep in his core that was causing his own clothing to become a bit restrictive. If she continued to dress like that over the next few days, it was going to be a very trying time indeed, Severus thought to himself.

And it was much worse when Jamison and Caterina said goodbye. He found himself tightly clenching his fists behind his back as Jamison actually lifted Caterina off the floor in a massive hug, kissing her forehead and even briefly on the lips before putting her down. Razor-sharp knives scraped through Severus' insides, or at least that's how it felt, while he wondered if things had in any way changed between Caterina and Jamison in the past few months. Well, he could quite easily go investigating again to find out.

Jamison shot Severus a grateful look and gave him a hearty handshake. Then he was out the door to his car. Caterina leaned against the doorframe as he pulled away, giving a little honk of his horn. She offered a small wave and stepped back, right into Severus, as she gave an involuntary shiver from the cold. His hand shot out to grasp her waist and steady her.

"Sorry," Caterina muttered as she turned around.

He hadn't realized just how close they were standing and he soon dropped his hand while carefully maneouvering back from her. It was then that he could also easily observe just how very cold she was, by the front of her shirt. Damnit! What had he just signed himself up for? Nothing but pure torture, it would seem.

She stared almost expressionlessly at him for a minute or so, before speaking. "Did Jamison show you the library?"

Severus gave a small nod. "Yes he did. It appears fairly impressive."

"It is. I'm sure you'll find plenty of things to interest you and keep you occupied."

Caterina turned and walked away from him, heading down the hallway that led into the kitchen and back part of the mansion. Severus knew there was absolutely no invitation for him to follow her. So he headed up the stairs to none other than the library. He subtly warded the stairs and doorway; should anyone head his way, he would know instantly. Then leaving the door partly open, he began to search the many shelves for anything that could possibly interest a wizard. Surprisingly, he soon came across several topics that piqued his curiosity of the Muggle World. Once Severus selected several books, he settled himself into a large, oversized leather armchair that faced the door.

Only when he heard light footsteps coming up the stairs did he realize that several hours had passed. Severus waited to see who it might be. Caterina passed by the doorway not even throwing him a sidelong glance. He listened intently as it sounded like she'd entered the office. Should he go attempt to talk to her or let her do her own thing? He just had no experience in matters such as these, so in the end, he stayed put. A little while later, Ellie, the housekeeper arrived.

She politely knocked on the doorway before entering, carrying a tray, which she set on the table near Severus. "Cook made a bunch of sandwiches before heading out earlier and I thought you might be hungry. If none of them are to your liking, please feel free to wander around the kitchen and help yourself to anything you'd like, though."

The woman smiled warmly at Severus and gave a quick glance toward the wall separating the library from the office. He followed her gaze, watching her give a sort of half smile.

"She really is starting to show a few small signs of emerging from this darkness, the poor dear. Though, at times, I wonder if she'll ever really be herself again." She closed her eyes briefly before finishing, "Let me know if you need anything."

Severus thanked her as she quickly left. He actually enjoyed a few of the sandwiches before turning back to his books and continuing reading. It wasn't long until he heard the start of music from somewhere close - he guessed the office. While it wasn't outright blasting, he could very clearly make out all the words. Jamison was right; though Severus was totally unfamiliar with any styles of music, muggle or wizard, it was quite dark, heavy and very depressing sounding. A few of the lines even scared him for her, if she were channelling the same thoughts as the songs described.

He had a hard time concentrating on the books, as all his thoughts were driven to the girl in the next room and what to do about her. After a while the music ceased and he realized a clock somewhere within the house was striking midnight. He'd never heard Caterina leave the office so he decided to go check on her for his own peace of mind.

Severus quietly pushed open the office door; the lights were off but the glow from the large stone fireplace was quite adequate for seeing all around the room. Quickly, his eyes settled on her as she lay curled up and sleeping on the brown leather couch by the fireplace. He could not tear his eyes away from her as the firelight danced all around her beautiful face. The blanket she had pulled over herself was slipping to the floor and he noticed she was moving, at times, in a fitful manner. Severus moved closer to readjust the blanket over her, when Caterina's small hand shot out and grabbed hold of his. Her eyes opened slightly and she turned toward him.

"Jamison?" she murmured lightly.

"No. It's Severus," came his deep, quiet reply.

Caterina quickly dropped his hand and rolled toward the inside of the couch, curling tighter into a little ball. He finished covering her with the blanket and then backed away from her, sitting in the armchair next to the couch. The way she'd dropped his hand and turned away from him so quickly at realizing that he wasn't Jamison, stung him hard. Severus knew that was forever the way it would be between them. He even expected it, but he couldn't figure out why it hurt him so inside. Severus was perfectly fine and accepted that they would and could only ever be friends. At least he hoped they would be friends, eventually.

Severus sat, watching over her for most of the night. Just before daylight struck full through the windows, he finally took leave of her and returned to the room Jamison had shown him to, earlier the day before.

That day went pretty much the same as the previous one. He barely saw Caterina but for short glimpses and that was mostly of her retreating back as she was usually headed away from him it seemed. And it was just as well, because she was sporting pretty much the same tight, curve-hugging style clothes again. He now felt quite foolish and senseless in thinking he could in any way help her with his presence. If nothing else, at least it gave Jamison a small respite from her, lest she drove him mad over her dark mood.

Caterina appeared to retire early that evening, while Severus continued ploughing through several of the library books. The clock struck eleven while he was returning a book to its shelf, when he heard a horrid scream that caused him to drop the book and rush out into the hall, wildly trying to decide from where exactly it had come from. There was another scream. It was Caterina. He threw open her bedroom door and entered, wand drawn and ready behind his back. She was thrashing and fighting about in her bed, apparently experiencing one of her terrible nightmares.

Severus threw all caution aside and rushed forward to her. The light from the hall was more than enough to see her quite easily. He did not want to hurt her but she obviously needed to wake. He grabbed her wrists firmly and held them unmovable in one hand while he shook her shoulder with his other as he stood, leaning in over the edge of her bed.

"Caterina! Caterina, you're safe. Everything is all right," Severus told her in a calm, silky voice, repeating himself several times.

After several minutes, her screaming and cries lessened as she started to calm and stopped fighting him, so he decided it best to release her wrists. As soon as he did, one of her hands grabbed his tightly again. She appeared to be waking up fully, as she struggled to sit up.

Her eyes fluttered a little, half opening and she started to speak, "Ja– ... Sev... Severus?"

"Yes," he responded tentatively, wondering if she would react the same as the night before.

But this time her hand tightened its grip on his and pulled somewhat at him. Severus sat down hesitantly on the edge of her bed, facing her. Tears were streaming down her face, her chestnut curls tangled with several stuck to her wet cheeks, and her little satiny top was slightly askew. Severus remained still, totally unsure of how to proceed. Her breathing was fast, her chest heaving as small sobs began to build within her, growing larger until she was shaking all over. He was torn over what to do as he had absolutely no understanding of how to comfort someone who was crying, until at last, she leaned forward toward him of her own doing, apparently in need of support.

Severus put one arm around her almost uncertainly, lightly touching her back and letting her head fall against his shoulder. He could feel her hot tears against his skin as they quickly penetrated his white shirt where her head lay. Caterina felt stiff and very tense as she continued to sob into his neck. He then cautiously put his other arm around her waist and carefully drew her nearer to himself and held her like that as she cried. After a long while, Caterina seemed to relax into his embrace, and she turned her head toward his neck, bringing her little hand up and resting it on his other shoulder, giving a small semblance of being somewhat content.

Soon, she calmed down to only sniffling and shuddering intermittently. Very softly, he felt her warm breath against his cheek for a moment when she tilted her head back and pulled away from his neck. It instantly felt cold and foreign without her sweet, warm head cradling there anymore. Severus wanted to gently press her head back down to where it belonged, against him. But Caterina didn't pull entirely away from him as he was now expecting, only just far enough to look him in the eyes. He watched her as she appeared to be summoning all of her courage to speak.

In a very quiet and shaky voice she asked, "Are...? Are you... going to l-l-lea-ve again?"

Within him, something snapped and flipped into place, telling him that she was not asking if he was returning to school, as that was a given. She wanted to know if he would ever again up and abandon her like he had done in August. Severus stared deeply into her sad, blue eyes, bringing a hand up to softly stroke her face. He knew he could never do anything to purposefully hurt her again and she needed to know that.

In a rich, unwavering voice, he answered. "No, Caterina. I promise you that will _never_ happen again – if you can trust me."

Caterina gave no response other than to lay her head back against his neck where it had been, while slipping her little hand down to rest near his heart. Severus clasped his hand over the top of hers and, in a quick decisive moment, he pressed his lips tenderly atop her curly head. They stayed that way for a very long time. So long, that Severus' back grew stiff from the awkward position he'd been holding, while sitting turned toward her, on the bed's edges. He ignored it, absolutely unwilling to move in the tiniest fashion for fear of her pulling away from him altogether. This unbelievably perfect moment would end far too quickly of its own accord, he was sure.

Though it pained him greatly, only when he finally realized that she was at last sleeping, nestled there against his shoulder whilst in his embrace, did he ever so gently struggle to lay her back down upon her pillow without disturbing her. Before he pulled the blankets over her, he carefully pushed the little satin strap of her shirt back up over her shoulder and as he did so, he felt that deep, burning desire growing in him once again.

Severus tenderly caressed her cheek, carefully brushing away all the stray curls from around her face and neck. He watched her sleeping as a dreamy peacefulness began playing upon her face. Then he bent close and again pressed his lips against the soft curls of her head, deeply inhaling the light floral scent of her hair. He rose and quickly surveyed her room. There was an adequate looking armchair which he moved to beside her bed. He sat down, stretched his long legs out, folded his arms upon his chest and once more spent the night watching over sweet Caterina.

Early next morning, he returned the chair to where he'd found it and left her room only shortly before she woke. After a hearty breakfast delivered again by the housekeeper, he resumed his reading in the library. Around noontime a soft knock came at the doorway. He looked up, half surprised to discover Caterina standing there. Her face bore no trace of the agony she had endured during the night and for that he was entirely glad. She leaned against the doorframe while he closed the book held between his hands, sitting up and giving her his full attention.

Caterina shot him a tiny smile, "Jamison called a little while ago and is headed home."

"Oh." Severus felt a small prick in his heart at her annoucement.

"Apparently they were able to halt Liz's contractions for the time being, so no baby yet."

"I imagine that's good news?"

Caterina nodded and looked as if she were about to say something else before dropping her eyes, twisting her lips into an odd expression and walking away.

That was the last he saw of her before Jamison arrived a few hours later. The two men conversed together briefly downstairs about the past few days. Then Jamison headed off to the kitchen in search of dinner while Severus went to say goodbye to Caterina.

She was, of course, in the office, lounging upon the leather couch with book in hand. Caterina startled sharply as he stood looking down over her. Apparently she hadn't heard his knock.

"Sorry about that," he offered.

"Oh no, it's kind of a creepy book at parts and I was just wrapped up a little too deeply..."

His eyes read the title along the spine: The Phantom of the Opera.

"Caterina, I'm leaving to – "

"Go back to Warthogs?" she finished for him with the most charming expression anyone had seen on her face in a long time.

Severus tried hard, but he just couldn't hold back the snicker over her tiny mix-up. Her face registered confusion.

"It's Hogwarts," he gently replied while his dark eyes flashed merrily at her.

"Oh yeah!" she giggled lightly. "Well, either way it's just as bad a name, no offense, but seriously..."

"None taken at all."

He was only too happy to hear that honest little giggle from her. She watched him questioningly and he knew what must be on her mind. He hoped what he said next would help alleviate that question.

"After term gets started and running smoothly in a few weeks, I'd like to come visit, over a weekend. Would that be acceptable to you?" he asked in a smooth, rich tone.

Caterina stared at him, her vivid blue eyes almost unreadable in that moment. Was she deciding? Would she say no? Last night he was under the impression that she wanted him to return but now he wondered if she even remembered what had happened.

Gradually her smile returned and she gave a little agreeable nod, "Yes, that sounds nice, Severus."

Though she never got up to see him to the door, he left this time with his heart slightly lighter and more hopeful than when he'd arrived. And he eagerly anticipated his next visit, for he wanted to prove to her that he would and could do anything for _her_.

* * *

A/N: Well how about that? What a touching moment they had together after her nightmare! Severus is starting to actually get somewhere and appears to be a little bit better at the whole comforting thing than he gives himself credit for - what do you think?

Caterina's mood in this chapter are definitely reflective of _Whisper_ by Evanescence. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and the way things are beginning to progress between them! I'd love to hear any feedback and thoughts!


	20. The Secret Within

**Chapter 20**

**The Secret Within**

January, along with the start of term, began calm and easy, much to Severus' surprise. And now having something of great interest to look forward to with soon visiting Caterina again, he began to feel slightly more at ease. He restarted his once halted investigations into the whereabouts of Black, though he made no more attempts to follow any leads, not matter how promising they might seem. That was a job for the Ministry after all, and why should he be doing their job for them? They were the ones whom Black had escaped from and they were the ones who had not found him, yet. Severus was more than ready to protect Harry, should Black enter the Hogwarts grounds again.

By the second Saturday evening of term, Severus was privately on quite the high as Slytherin had just defeated Ravenclaw in their Quidditch match. He also secretly reveled in the fact that many of the students not within his House all but ran in the opposite direction at seeing the scary, out of place, half smile that had temporarily replaced his usual scornful sneer or scowl. Severus thought that the only thing that could add to his happiness at the moment was seeing Caterina. A thought struck him and he went to search out the Headmaster.

Early the next afternoon, Severus found himself standing once more outside Clarkstone Mansion, waiting at the door.

The housekeeper opened it and gave him a most delighted smile. "Why hello there again, Mr. Snape! Good to see you again."

"Hello. Is Ca– " Severus started to ask.

Ellie interrupted him and replied to his unfinished question in an excited whisper, "Yes! Yes she is and between you and me, I think she's becoming a little more talkative, finally. Why I even caught a smile or two on her face recently, and not those little sad sort of ones that tear your heart out either, if you know what I mean. Oh where are my manners? Come in, come in!"

After she stopped wagging her hand fiercely, summoning him inside, she shut the door behind him and led him toward the grand staircase.

Walking slowly, though, she resumed her whispering to him."I was just chatting with her in the office. She's just reading, so feel free to go on up, dearie."

At the base of the stairs, she gave an encouraging smile, patted his arm and went off down a back hallway. Severus raised a sharp eye at the older woman's use of the word 'dearie' on him and the awkward pat from her. He was not used to people touching him freely, and he did not like it at all, except until recently, if it was Caterina doing so. She was the only exception. He inhaled deeply before quickly and quietly mounting the many steps to the second floor office. The door was half open and he could see her sitting on the couch by the fire in an oddly peculiar position, her back toward the door. Caterina appeared to have her back resting on the arm piece of the couch but her little jeaned legs were sticking straight up and crossed, leaning against the back of it as they were obviously too short to hang over it.

Severus found himself quite amused at seeing her like this, in such a carefree and unguarded manner compared to when he'd last seen her. Without a sound, he stepped up to the couch. Severus could just see the side of her sweet face and she also appeared slightly more relaxed, more so than he'd seen her in months.

In his best deep, rich and silky voice, he spoke. "I see we're still reading about that Phantom."

Caterina shrieked loudly and jumped so violently that her book went flying and she almost fell right off the couch. She clutched her chest and gasped several times, finally looking up at him and shaking her head. It was evident he'd not meant to startle her in any fashion and though he tried hard to force his face to portray that, his look held more of a rather amused nature.

"Good Lord, Severus Snape! You've really got to stop that! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Caterina stood up, walked over a few feet to where the book landed and bent to pick it up. Despite himself, he couldn't help but admire the view that afforded him. Then she righted herself and walked toward him. Stopping about two feet from him, eyes narrowed into a strong glare, Caterina hauled off and whacked his arm with the little book. Severus' lips couldn't hold back any of the smile that was now playing around them.

"It's not funny," she pouted, but he saw now she was even grinning, in spite of her best efforts not to.

He tried hard to rearrange his face into a serious pose as he offered his apology. "I really am sorry for scaring you, Caterina. But again, I did knock first."

"Likely story," she retorted.

Surprisingly enough, that had been the ice breaker and they spent the next few hours talking and even laughing a few times together on the couch. Caterina really did seem to be opening back up and becoming more talkative, even if slowly. Severus felt his worries for her lessen, ever so slightly. He did have one scare that evening but Caterina quickly abated. While they were talking, she absentmindedly pulled up her sleeves and there, on her upper right arm, lay a huge, ugly purple and black bruise. Severus gently grabbed her arm, inspecting it and growing very concerned at the violent appearance it gave off. His mind jumped to the conclusion that she might have hurt herself on purpose.

"Oh yeah, that," she said with a slight shake of her head. "Looks pretty nasty, huh?"

"Yes, it does. What on earth happened, Caterina?" Severus' brow furrowed in deep concern.

"Widget," she answered flatly.

"Excuse me?"

Caterina chuckled, "Oh, right! You don't know her. That's no surprise. You could move in and live here for a year and you'd still probably never see her."

He didn't know about that, but the idea of moving in sounding very appealing and sent his mind in another direction entirely for a few moments before coming back around to this Widget thing.

"She's just my evil black cat," Caterina continued with a chuckle. "She tolerates pretty much no one but me. The other night she got into the kitchen and, well, as you can imagine, that did not sit with Cook very well at all. I was trying to chase her out and ran right into an open drawer along the counter. Hurt like you wouldn't believe."

Severus reached out his long fingers and caressed the area on her arm for a few moments before realizing he was even doing so. His black eyes shot to hers and found she was smiling just as sweetly as ever at him, over the simple gesture.

"So it would appear you still have the penchant for running into things, I see?" Severus said, his black eyes almost sparkling.

Caterina's lips turned into a sweet, charming smile. "Yes, it would seem so."

As he continued rubbing her arm for several moments longer, Severus was thinking seriously about throwing a hex or two on her horridly evil cat before leaving that evening.

* * *

The next few months passed by wonderfully. Severus had worked it out so that he had been able to visit Caterina almost every other weekend, either for a few hours on Saturday or Sunday, depending on his duties at Hogwarts. It finally seemed like the darkness Caterina had been living in the past few months was beginning to thin as she was slowly emerging from it. She was always very happy, even thrilled, it seemed, to see him now. They spent hours together, sometimes taking long strolls through the park or just enjoying conversation by the fireplace in the office. Sometimes they just sat quietly in there together, each reading a book. Severus wondered why it was always referred to as being the office. No office work ever took place in there and the room was of such a design that it really gave off a comforting air of being like a private sanctuary for Caterina. He knew she loved that cozy room and he enjoyed being there with her.

Most importantly, Severus finally felt like they had definitely crossed over the line into being true friends. Many times, he longed and secretly yearned for it to become more but he refused to risk losing her friendship if it went badly. He never would have thought it possible to become friends with a woman, and certainly never a beautiful, muggle woman. A relationship would be way too much to dare hope for, even though he readily admitted to himself his feelings for her were very strong. He could very easily fall completely in love with her, if he hadn't already done so. He wasn't entirely sure as he'd never been in love before. There were times he came very close to acting on his deep feelings but he was afraid he was reading her reactions to him all wrong.

Severus was honestly looking forward to the summer break more than ever before. He anticipated relatively few interferences that would stop him from spending time with her, possibly on daily basis, even. Now there was only a week and a half left in the term. And in less than an hour, his last exam of the year would be over and done with. Severus was about to drag himself through checking the potions products from the last group of first years sitting their final exam, when the cauldron he was walking by gave a lurid flash of putrid hot pink. Many of the first years screamed, diving and ducking in every which way, knocking over a whole array of items. Then the cauldron made a sickening, squelching noise, while shooting out something closely resembling creamed spinach into the air and landing on the terrified first year student's bag and part of Severus' sleeve. Instantly it dissolved the fabric, as he readily threw a stasis charm on his skin to keep it from being burned by whatever the concoction had turned into. The bag had not been so fortunate. It was all but gone, as the first year looked on and started to cry.

After several scathing remarks and vehement orders at the other students not to move, he Vanished the mess, setting things back to rights around the dungeon, as well as offering out a few extra detentions. Being very cross and irritable, he soon found himself heading back to his quarters in need of a change of clothes. His robe had been narrowly missed but his signature black jacket and shirt were ruined. Quickly removing them, he vanished them and opened his wardrobe door. In no time at all, he changed and was about to head off to dinner when he realized his new jacket was jingling. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long forgotten, crumpled envelope. Realization slowly dawned on him as to just what it was.

Oh bloody hell! How could he possibly have forgotten about the envelope she'd forced upon him _that_ day? Probably because he'd tried to drive all of _that_ day's events from his memory, in its entirety. Would this in any way help him and her to further their growing friendship? Or would it now hurt it more by the fact that he'd let it go unacknowledged for far too long, leading her to believe ultimately that once again he did not truly care? Caterina had never asked about it, though, so maybe it wasn't something that had a great importance to it.

He highly doubted that was the case though. Caterina would have never idly given him something of no importance, least not on _that_ day. Severus half-feared opening the small white envelope that he now turned over and over in his hands, examining. It did not contain any note as it was obviously a small object inside and much too thick. In fact, it felt hard like metal and rattled when moved, like a jewelry piece of some sort perhaps. Odd, very odd, for her to have given him such a trinket.

At last, with his patience spent and curiosity getting the better of him, he tapped the envelope with his wand and the flap opened neatly. Turning it over into the palm of his hand, he watched as an old, golden locket and chain fell out. He stared at it, incredulously, unable to form a coherent thought for a few moments.

How could she have this? It wasn't possible. Yet, here it was in his hand, given to him by her. Was he mistaken? He turned it over several times in his fingers. It was the same oval-shape, though very worn now, with dents and scratches upon the front and back and the chain appeared quite tarnished with age. The clasp on the locket was broken now, as it would not open. Severus closed his eyes as he tried to summon several old memories, ones that had been suppressed over the years by time and lack of importance.

Severus dropped into the chair by his bed and sought hard to draw forth a clear image into his mind for closer inspection. The process took several long minutes but finally he found it, and amazingly it was the same locket that he had once seen, hanging from a neck. The very neck he'd once put it around himself, in his much younger days of innocent youth.

In a flash it all came flooding back to him. The memory of discovering the little locket on the ground, as it glimmered up from an area of dirt by the road, free still from the freshly falling snow. He felt the memory of his excitement and the thrill upon his heart at its finding. It had been Christmas Eve and he knew just what he was going to do with that locket. His grubby fingers had snatched the locket up in a heartbeat. Making sure no one had been watching, ready to claim it for themselves, he pocketed it and ran for home. Keeping his fist tightly curled around it, the whole way, he went straight into his room, where he barred the door against being discovered, and mostly against his horrid father.

Using the simplest bit of magic he'd determined that is was not worth anything of real value and that was just as well. Severus cleaned the little golden locket best he could, causing it to shine like new. He'd even managed to charm it slightly so it sparkled when opened. Then he set about to find a box of sorts to wrap it up in. It had all taken him quite awhile as his magic was limited and he was without a wand but that had not deterred him in the slightest.

Severus had hoped it would make her happy. He had hoped it might stop her bouts of crying. He had even hoped that she might be a little nicer to him. Severus waited a long while until he heard his father's drunken snores start. Then he cautiously crept out of his room and down the stairs, peeping around the corner into the shabby living room. She was still up, sitting by the fire, staring absently into it. Quietly he went to her, and silently presented his gift.

His mother stared at him quite harshly at first but said nothing. The harshness quickly turned into confusion as she spoke his name. She'd said it like she needed actual verification that it was indeed her own son standing there before her.

Then she saw his little hands holding out the obviously child-wrapped package for her. His mother stared quizzically into his dark eyes before gently taking it out of his hands and beginning to open it. He stood there nervously, praying that she would not be angry at him. He didn't want to be severely scolded on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Those seemed to be the only two days out of the year that he ever managed to escape them, and sometimes, if he were lucky, on his birthday as well.

After she removed the lid, she just stared down into the small box, almost as if she couldn't see the little locket nesting inside. But then, she suddenly grabbed Severus and embraced him so hard he thought he'd be done in for sure this time, until he realized his mother was actually hugging him. She never hugged him. Never. She rarely touched him. And even stranger to him, she pulled him into her lap and smiled at him. It was then that he noticed her tears were back, but her eyes looked happy. How could that be, he had wondered?

"Severus! Where did you – ? How did you – ? You know what, never mind, don't answer! It's beautiful, darling!" she exclaimed.

His young heart thrilled over that. At last, she pulled the locket out of the box and held it dangling by its chain. The firelight reflected off of it beautifully and sent a few twinkling shimmers around the room.

"Severus? You weren't using magic again were you? You didn't take this from someone did you, like the stuffed dog?" Her face held some of its usual harshness but for once her tone did not.

Wrinkling up his nose, he shook his head. "No mum. I promise I got it honest, fair and square, I did."

She appeared to not want to debate the issue any longer and for that he was very glad.

"Well, it's the prettiest piece of jewely anyone's ever given me!" she exclaimed.

He knew she meant it because there was certainly nothing his father had ever given her anywhere in the house, unless one counted all his trouble. Severus wondered why they always fought as such with each other. It must not have always been that way. There had to have been some love between at some point, to bring them together. Why he even remembered overhearing his mother speaking with someone once and saying so.

"Here, Severus, help me put it on," his mother said quietly.

The chain, being quite long enough, made it so that he could easily help her slip it right over her head and drop it onto her neck. She smiled. Something Severus rarely ever witnessed. And though he'd never regarded his mother as pretty, that night by the fire, with her smile and the shiny locket hanging from her neck, she looked quite lovely.

She allowed him to sit quietly in her lap a little while longer, until his little eyes began to droop.

Suddenly, she kissed his forehead and whispered low in his ear. "I do love you, my son. Thank you for this, Severus. I will treasure it always. Now off to bed with you."

He turned and nodded, gazing up at her as he saw she held the locket between her fingers now. She was eyeing it with the smile still visible on her face. Severus quickly did as he was told, before any wrath could follow. The next day, Christmas, was rather pleasant. He'd been very pleased to see his mother proudly wearing the locket. And for once, his father stayed oddly calm for most of the day. Severus went to bed thinking it had been the best Christmas ever, though he'd received very little.

But the day after, in a fierce drunken rage, he watched his father slam his mother up against the wall, slap her hard across the face and yank the locket from her neck. She knew that Severus had seen everything that happened, but his mother never brought it up, as they hardly ever talked. Severus never saw the locket again after that.

Until now.

An anger began to build, seething within him. A kind he had not felt in years. The kind he'd always reserved for his horrid, muggle father only. It was broken only by his next thought. That somehow, probably using magic, his mother retrieved the locked away from her husband. Then she must have kept it hidden and concealed from him magically, no doubt.

Severus turned the locket over again and again in his hands. But nothing could still explain to him how it could have possibly ended up in Caterina's sweet hands. His just stared at it a long while, trying to make sense of it all. Then it hit him. He tapped the locket several times with his wand, going through a variety of revealing and opening spells. On the fifth combination, the seal broke and the locket sprang open beautifully. And into his hand, fell a folded parchment that had been magically concealed within the locket.

Sitting the locket upon his nightstand, Severus carefully unfolded the parchment. His heart almost skipped a beat as he read the first line. It was from his mother. Quickly his eyes devoured what now appeared to be a very long letter.

"_My Dearest Son, Severus,_

_I can only hope against life itself, that this locket will one day find its way back into your hands again. It has always been one of my most treasured possessions. You were so excited the day you gave __it__ to me. You were only six at the time – I wonder if you even can remember it now. _

_Please, I beg you not to be overly harsh on Caterina, if she bothered you too much in getting it returned to you. That was only of my asking. She is a rare soul even for a muggle. I'm sure if you let her, she would have told you how we __met__ and briefly became friends before I died. For I know in my heart I will have been long gone by the time you actually read this. Caterina has__,__ in an odd way__,__ been like the daughter I never had these last few months of my life. Having no one else to turn to, I felt overly compelled to charge her with the task of returning the locket to you one day. She knew and understood that it might be years until she could do so._

_Severus, I did this all to say – I know the dangerous path you were headed down as a teenager. My worst fear has always been that you would stay on that path until it utterly destroyed __you__. I hope with all my heart and I beg of you, as my only child, please don't close yourself up completely and give into the Dark, and become a follower of his ways. If you have, I implore you to rethink your life. I know nothing was ever easy for you growing up. There are so many regrets that I now have, so many things I should have tried to change for you. But instead, I can only take this bitter regret to my grave with me. I wronged you in many ways that I know I cannot ask for your forgiveness __for__. My only advice to you is to seek out Dumbledore, I know he would help you if you asked him. Don't ever become too proud or lost that you cannot ask for help as I did._

_Although I told Caterina very little, I did beg of her not to return this until she could properly decide for herself if you had since renounced those ways. I have always held firm to the belief in my heart that you will someday, if not already. I just hope you don't have to lose everything before it's too late. I also understand that in not knowing the choices you have followed, I have greatly risked Caterina's safety through asking this of her, though she does not know that. I beg you and plead with you not to harm her for it, or let anyone else harm her for what were my actions alone. In doing this, it was the closest I could come to having any sort of peace in my heart over you before dying._

_I owe Caterina more than I'll ever be able to repay, if she was successful. Please, please my son, find it in your heart to thank her – if even only for me and not yourself. Do not punish her for fulfilling your mother's last and final request._

_I always loved you, Severus._

_Don't ever forget that, my son!"_

Severus sat floored, completely astounded by what he had just read. Dinner could wait. Exams could wait. Everything could wait. Severus read it through again, no less than five times, trying to comprehend his mother's letter and all the information it contained. What hit him hardest was the slow realization dawning upon him - his mother had actually cared that much about him at some point in her life to have taken such a step as this. He sat pondering what it all meant, late into the night.

Of several things he was very sure. Caterina had not come back into his life by chance, but they had truly become friends, despite what she might have been informed about him and his past. There was no mistaking that, he was sure. He knew that on a certain level she cared about him and what happened to him; that much was very evident through her actions when they were together. She also knew him well enough now, to know that he was very private about certain matters in his life. So therefore, she respected him enough not to pry into what had become of the locket due to the fact that it could be viewed as a private family matter. She might even be content to never know. No, he knew her better than that. She had to be wondering, at least at times. Well, he could see no reason not to discuss the matter with her. After all, in the letter, his mother alluded to a reason that they had met and that he did not know. That was something he was burning to find out.

He would have to think long and hard about the best possible way to handle the matter and approach her about it. He wanted to be gentle; after all he was in no way mad, only extremely grateful that Caterina had stayed true to her word and he was absolutely curious about what had brought her and his mother together. He could not go without knowing that. In many ways, he felt like he had been the one to win in this situation as he'd been given a rare friendship through it and unknowingly fulfilled his mother's apparent dying wish – he had indeed gotten his life back on track, though it had cost him. Not quite everything – yet, but it had definitely cost him.

Severus sat up half the night as questions tumbled through his racing mind while he slowly began to piece together a plan. Once he'd carefully decided upon all of the details, he set about, getting prepared to set the plan into motion. He knew he couldn't wait to find out about this discovery. Since he had only a few morning and afternoon duties to see to the next day, Severus hoped to be discussing it with Caterina by the following evening. She would most certainly be surprised, as he'd never visited in the middle of the week before.

The next day as Severus finished up his final task, he started to experience a slight twinge of anticipation, mingled with a touch of uneasiness over the upcoming visit with Caterina. Severus finished adding the last few ingredients to the potion he was working on and with a quick flick of his wand everything went back into its proper place. Then he picked up the steaming goblet of Wolfsbane Potion and headed for Lupin's office. It was ridiculous that the man couldn't come collect his own potion each month at a reasonable time, as it was all made for everyone else's well-being, not exactly his. Severus didn't dwell on his anger over it, though, because once this was delivered, he could be right on his way to see Caterina.

When there was no response to his knock on Lupin's door, Severus entered, meaning to leave the goblet there waiting on his desk. If Lupin took it, good for him. If not, Severus was not going to be responsible; he'd done his part. He set the goblet down and turned to leave, as his keen eyes caught something of interest lying upon the desk. He suddenly knew that his evening visiting with Caterina had just gone up in flames.

After that night, no one was more angry than Severus at how horrendously the events had unfolded themselves. What had actually ensued was completely mind-boggling and he could barely contain his rapidly seething temper over it all. He'd been seconds away from single-handedly capturing Sirius Black while at the same time protecting Potter and company, when that rotten threesome turned and attacked him! He was all but in a furious rage over a totally wasted change and a completely ruined night – a night he could and should have spent with Caterina, getting the answers to all his questions.

At one point he'd lost all control and had a pure screaming fit at the headmaster and the Ministry quack, Fudge. Dumbledore, with his annoying twinkle, promised to discuss the events in full detail with him once the students were safely on their way home for the summer. Which, in turn, would again delay seeing Caterina for a few more days. Thinking of her was the only calming thought he could muster.

Whatever information Dumbledore had for him had better be worth the wait, he told himself bitterly.

Finally, by the next midweek, Severus found himself back home on Spinner's End. His meeting with Dumbledore had helped to calm him but only to a degree. Although Severus still didn't know if he readily accepted all he'd been told and the new developments that concerned all things Potter. The best news that Dumbledore had was that they no longer had to worry about Sirius Black. The debate over it all would have to wait for now though, as he now shifted his gaze to focus on Caterina and finding out the whole story behind the locket.

Once again, Severus went over his plan and ended up totally scrapping it altogether, in favor of a new, better idea. He marveled at his genius and wondered why he had never thought of this earlier. Severus made several necessary inquires and everything fell into place quite beautifully. Now all he needed to do was present the idea to Caterina and hope that she would accept. Severus was almost sure that she would say yes.

* * *

A/N: What a totally surprising discovery for Severus! Ahh... now we're getting somewhere even more interesting now that the locket has been discovered! The plot thickens and what could his little plan possibly involve for Caterina? :)

Licorice wands to everyone in thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a comment with any story thoughts. ;)


	21. Indecisiveness

**Chapter 21**

**Indecisiveness**

Caterina stood in front of her full length mirror, quite pleased with what she was seeing. She had been quite intrigued, as well as excited, at Severus' proposal the evening before. First of all, just him showing up on a Thursday was a total surprise in itself. And now with the school term over, he was free for the summer. She wondered how much she would see of him and truly hoped it would be often. Caterina had definitely gotten used to spending time with him almost every other weekend. If that became every week, she'd be more than happy and would definitely welcome it.

Without him even trying on purpose, somehow he'd managed to help her through the dark and troubled past few months. Caterina was beginning to find a certain amount of peace and a large part of that peace rested greatly in her time spent with Severus. Occasionally, she wondered if their friendship would grow into something much more, given time.

She had a strong feeling telling her that she would like for that to happen, but at the same time she was most unwilling to be the instigator of it. Not after his display of leaving her last summer, when they were barely even friends yet. She could not risk putting herself in that position. It would have to be him, though she might help with a few tiny hints here and there. Many times in the past few weeks, it appeared as if Severus was just a step away from making some sort of affirmation, but yet, he held back. It was frustrating but maybe taking it slow and being cautious was just part of who he was. And it might be the pace she needed after everything that had happened to her in the last year.

Caterina twirled in front of the mirror and giggled delightedly. It had been ages since she'd gotten herself all dressed up and prettied like this. It felt good to do so again, especially for Severus. Raising an elegant eyebrow at herself in the mirror before adding a few finishing touches to her soft makeup, she couldn't help but wonder what he'd think when he saw her. Without a doubt, he would surely like what he saw. Though he never said anything about how she looked, she could always read his approval in his gleaming, black eyes.

As Caterina selected one of her favorite perfumes and misted herself several times with it, she heard the doorbell sounding in the faint distance. With a quick glance at the clock, she knew it was Severus, perfectly punctual as always.

Jamison had already welcomed him in and from the upstairs balcony, and she could see they were standing, talking near the base of the stairs. She surveyed him in his usual black attire for a minute, admiring his handsome features. Caterina started her descent toward them and when Severus caught sight of her, he froze mid-sentence in his reply to Jamison. His ebony eyes were indeed locked on her, and by the look on his face, it was quite evident that he enjoyed what he saw. Of course he did. There was no way he wouldn't, as she'd selected a sweet and yet spicy little black dress. It was ultra feminine and perfect for a summery evening out to dinner.

Severus never found himself tongue-tied but as he'd caught sight of Caterina on the stairs, his powers of speech disappeared completely. He fought for control of his mind and needed desperately to win or the entire evening would amount to nothing but him staring at her. Why, oh why, would she have chosen such a devilish little number? Yet, he fully appreciated it as he gazed her up and down, taking it all in.

Caterina wore a breathtaking black lace masterpiece and she was utterly stunning in it. It was completely strapless with a slightly curved and somewhat low-cut bodice top, leading into an empire waist. There was a little black bow just in the front and from there the black lace flowed breezily over the wonderfully contrasted silver lining beneath it, stopping just above her knees. On her feet were simple black open-toed shoes with a small heel, she wore no jewelry and carried what looked like a small, black sweater draped over her arm with a little purse in hand. Her curly chestnut tresses were dancing softly about on her bare shoulders and hung freely down her back. As she turned slightly, he could see the back of the dress was quite low. Over all, the effect was almost ethereal.

Presently, he was somewhat returning to his senses, regaining the privilege of speech once more so he could greet her properly, rather than just standing there ogling her like a mannerless cretin.

"Good evening, Caterina," he managed in a deep, velvety tone.

She only smiled sweetly and nodded at him.

Jamison, seeing that he was no longer of any interest to them, took that as his cue to escape back to watching his favorite baseball team.

"Well, you kids have fun and don't worry – take your time, I won't be waiting up for you," he said as he clapped Severus on the shoulder while trying to hide his amused snicker with a blatantly fake cough.

Out of Severus' view, Caterina shot Jamison a slightly murderous look as he raised an eyebrow and discretely winked at her, then he swiftly retreated back to his waiting television. All the while, he was hoping they'd soon admit to each other what was so very obvious to him – they needed and wanted each other.

A short while later, Severus and Caterina found themselves seated outside, under the beautiful white flowering arbor of a quaint little French restaurant, situated next to the river. Both were perusing the menu and making small talk. Severus found himself again having to force his concentration on the words before him at times, and not on the exquisite creature seated just across the little table from him. But that dress, especially the top of it, was extremely distracting to him. He wasn't sure he could make it through the night.

After their enjoyable dinner, Severus once again suggested a walk along the riverfront. The sun was just starting its descent into the horizon there across the water and it made for a perfect setting. For whatever reason, he seemed intent on proceeding in the opposite direction of much of the Friday night crowd, heading away from the commercial area. They walked leisurely and in silence for a while after they had passed by the last establishment. Eventually, they came upon a little park area that held several scattered benches along the waterside and Severus asked if she'd like to sit for a bit. Caterina smiled and nodded.

She gave a little happy sounding sigh, sitting there watching the sunset. Severus was too distracted by watching her to notice just how brilliant it was. If he had noticed, it still certainly would not have compared to Caterina's beauty. It was now or never, he thought to himself. Caterina felt a tiny nudge against her arm and she looked up, to find him holding out a small silver box tied shut with a thin silver ribbon.

"What's this?" she eyed him questioningly.

He gave a little half smile, "Just open it."

She took it, heart almost racing, and undid the silver ribbon, dropping it into her lap. Then she carefully lifted the lid. Caterina let out a gasp. Inside lay the little golden locket that had been entrusted to her care for so many years, but now it was completely restored and almost new looking. Her eyes closed as a wave of emotions flooded through her. Severus was unprepared for what her reaction might be and suddenly he didn't know if what he'd done had been a good idea or a bad one.

Finally, she turned to face him and he could see she was rapidly blinking back tears.

"S- Sev-erus... you kept it? I thought...maybe..."

"Yes. Of course, I kept it," he replied, trying to sound comforting.

"And it's fixed now?"

"Yes."

In truth, Severus could have easily fixed it magically but instead, he'd taken it to a little shop in Diagon Alley. Certain spells can be broken or fade over time and he wanted it restored properly. He knew of an older wizard who could repair most of the damage by hand, while also coating the metal with a protective gold finish to keep it from ever tarnishing again. It had cost quite a large sum, but he felt it was worth the price for this to be done.

Caterina still appeared to be overcome with whatever feelings the locket was causing her to channel. He didn't want to rush her, she was free to go at her own pace, but the suspense was really starting to get to him. Severus watched as she gently picked the locket up and laid the box in her lap as well. With a fingernail, she quickly pressed the clasp and the locket opened smoothly. Again, she gave a small gasp, and looked up at him hesitantly almost.

"I don't think she ever kept any pictures inside it," he said, answering the unspoken question in her vivid, blue eyes.

"I always wondered... but it would never open for me," her voice trailed off, while carefully closing it shut. "And I imagine that you've been wondering how –"

"Oh, just a bit," Severus quipped lightly, trying to hide his extreme eagerness with a wry smile.

Caterina gave a soft chuckle, while turning upon the bench to face him better. For a long time, she'd thought about what she'd said say to him when this moment – if this moment – ever arrived. She had always planned on telling him the full truth when he asked, but now everything she had rehearsed didn't sound right in her head, because she had never expected for the two of them to become friends. She took a deep, steadying breath and searched through her jumbled emotions for a sense of clarity as she fought to return the tears to behind their floodgates.

A small, thoughtful smile played around her lips as she watched Severus now. He was trying desperately not to appear impatient but she knew him well enough to read that look on him. Caterina wondered how long he'd waited to open the envelope even. Knowing his self restraint, probably months. Slowly, she rested her hand on top of his as it perched upon his knee. It had been a long time since she'd last made such a gesture toward him and she tried not to let the little warm flutters in her heart overwhelm her.

"Severus, I'm honestly surprised you haven't pieced it all together yourself, by now."

He let out a small snort, "While I am often known for my brilliance, I'm afraid I must admit defeat in this case. But just so you know, that rarely happens."

Caterina laughed at that. Then she dropped her eyes back down to the locket and clasped her fingers tightly around it, bringing it to her heart.

"Severus, it was your mother, Eileen, who rescued me from the fire in the warehouse."

"Wh-at? My mother?" was all he could manage.

His mind reeled in thought as he stared deeply into her eyes. His own mother had risked her life, for someone else? And someone she didn't even know? How very un-Slytherin of her. But of course, he was more than grateful for her heroic act of bravery. He just wondered why it never manifested itself to defend herself and him against her vile husband for all those years. Suddenly, Severus just felt almost ignorant for not have put it together on his own. After all, the warehouse Caterina had been held in used to stand directly beside his house. He should have seen that and pieced it together.

"Yes, your mother," Caterina confirmed in a quiet voice while she gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"You - you said that the woman disappeared right away though?"

Caterina nodded, "She did somehow, but while I spent the next few months recovering, I managed to figure out who it was. I knew the woman who had saved me was someone I'd definitely seen before in my life. And one day, it just clicked and I figured out who it was."

Severus studied Caterina's beautiful face, in awe of what his mother had done and actually felt proud of her for the first time ever in his life. His mother had protected Caterina's life and in that decision, she'd unknowingly sent her son a very rare and beautiful friend. He glanced down at their hands, carefully turning his over to interlock his long fingers within her tiny ones. She rewarded Severus with a sweet smile and continued her story.

"Of course she was not very welcoming at first when I showed up on the doorstep, must be a trait that runs in the family," Caterina shot Severus a meaningful look at that comment.

He pursed his lips, and let out a sigh. He'd let that slide, as he deserved it.

"After a long while, I finally assured her that I wasn't going to make a big deal and drag the press into the matter. I just wanted to thank her. After all, I owed her my life. And well, that's it really. She slowly eased up and asked if I'd come back to see her again. I think she was lonely and it was obvious she was not completely well. Over the next few months, I started visiting a few times a week up until... until she passed."

A tiny tear escaped, sliding down Caterina's cheek but Severus quickly brushed it away. How odd to him, that this sweet creature was able to shed tears over his own mother's death when he himself had never shed a single drop.

"And, not long before she died, she showed me the locket and, well, I couldn't say no to what she asked me to do... it didn't really seem like it would be all that hard. She always seemed so incredibly worried about you. I just had to wait for you to show up, someday."

He again found himself at a loss for words now, just taking in the sight of the glorious creature so close to him. How he longed to be more than just her friend, someday maybe. But reality quickly struck. Probably not, - no, never, - he thought. Beauties like her were not meant for dark creatures such as him. And he'd certainly lived through his share of darkness during his life, much of it brought on by his own foolish choices. Choices he was still fighting to one day be free from. He could and would remain her friend, however, while quietly harboring this secret, growing love for her. Caterina would never want to be with someone like him.

Severus surprised even himself with his next reply. "She had every reason to be worried about me. I made some very bad choices in my past and for all the wrong reasons."

"She said you had joined up with a highly dangerous group?" Caterina asked hesitantly.

"I did. And I followed down that very dark path for several years before attempting to break free."

"What happened – if...if you don't mind me asking?"

He gave her hand a tight squeeze and looked out toward the water for a minute, while trying to collect his thoughts on how to best word things. He still didn't think he was ready to share what he truly was with her though, just yet. Severus gave a deep sigh and closed his eyes for a moment, thinking back through all the horrors and atrocities he'd witnessed and many times helped in, one way or another.

"Well, the leader of the group tortured and killed many who were just innocent people, along with a friend of mine. And finally, everything seemed so pointless. So I tried to get out."

"What do you mean tried? Are you still..." Caterina swallowed hard and didn't finish.

He turned and looked her straight in the eyes with a deeply serious gaze, "It's not something you can just leave, and walk away from Caterina, unless you want to die."

"Oh Severus," she whispered, as she gripped his hand tightly, her little brow furrowed up at him in distress.

"I've held my own by turning informant against the group, years ago."

"But that puts you in an awfully dangerous position."

'Yes. Yes it does. Things have quieted down over the years, but unfortunately, it's not going to stay that way forever. There's still someone they're after, a rather young boy, at the school."

He watched her face as she quietly absorbed this information. Was he scaring her away, for good? That wasn't his intent at all but he felt he needed to be completely truthful as to just how dangerous things really were.

"And you... well do you work for Mr. Dumbledore, doing this?"

He smiled again at how clever she was in piecing things together on her own.

"Yes. He's what you could call the chief opposition against the group."

"It's all very secretive, isn't it?"

"Oh, unbelievably secretive and very well guarded. You will never find out anything about it in the news or anywhere else, even if you knew what you were looking for."

"And you have to be careful in what you even tell me?"

He simply nodded at her. Caterina looked down at the locket in her hand and then back up at Severus. Her vivid blue eyes seemed to take on a fiery appearance.

"Well, I'm glad that you got out as best you could. That's what your mother had hoped for. She'd be happy too."

"Yes, I suppose she would be."

Severus carefully let go of her hand, reached over, and took the locket from out of her grasp. Caterina looked up at him questioningly but said nothing.

"I gave this to her when I was very little and I can't think of anyone else I'd want to have it now but you."

And with that, he gently slipped the chain down over her head to rest the locket against her chest. It felt like fire raging inside him as he gently brushed his hands over her soft, smooth skin. Caterina lifted her curls and straightened the locket slightly while Severus was silently thankful for how dark it had now become. It was a rare moment in his life where he knew he was becoming flushed in the cheeks. He hadn't realized beforehand that putting the necklace on her would bring his hands so alarmingly close to the generous swell of her breasts.

"Thank you Severus," she whispered as she slipped her arms around him, pulling him close and resting her head against his shoulder.

He was fairly blown away by her gesture and of the feeling of her pressing against him. Severus hadn't been in such intimate contact with her since that night months ago, when he'd held her as she cried in her bed. His heart was thrilled at the chance to do so again. He wrapped his arms around her and rested a hand upon the bare, smooth skin of her back. And before he could stop himself, he tenderly pressed his lips softly atop her head. He hoped she hadn't noticed what he had done but Caterina knew, and simply smiled to herself over it in a rather satisfied manner.

* * *

Caterina was more than pleased at how the summer started with Severus' arrival home. They spent countless hours together, enjoying each other's company. Soon he came by almost every day, and at that point, Caterina ended up giving him a key to the house, after one too many exasperated looks from Ellie at answering the door for him. Severus felt almost unnerved by the implicit trust this showed she had in him. He wasn't entirely sure he deserved it.

One morning in mid-July, he'd let himself into the mansion and settled himself in the library, awaiting Caterina who was probably finishing up a morning swim in the pool. He walked around, combing through the hundreds of books to find something of interest when all of a sudden the hairs on the back of his neck prickled. He froze. Someone was watching him and he could tell it was no one he normally associated with the house. Severus reached into his pocket to ready his wand if necessary and hurriedly spun around, his black hair flying. At first he saw no one but as his eyes searched everywhere, they finally settled on a pair of yellow and black eyes staring him down most curiously from the doorway. It was a solid black, long-haired cat. And there was something not quite normal about it.

Severus edged closer to it, though it didn't move as he approached. It simply regarded him with an almost haughty-looking and unblinking gaze. He came within several feet of it before the cat turned and padded away. '_No, it couldn't b_e' he thought to himself, standing there near the doorway. As he pondered the possibilities, the cat came back to him and this time it let out a soft meow. Severus looked down at it and suddenly, it was apparent that the cat wanted him to follow it. So he did just that.

Severus was so intent on watching the cat while trying to figure out what it was about it that he didn't pay attention to where it was leading him, until it abruptly stopped and curled itself upon a small rug. Severus quickly came back to his senses as he stopped in the doorway of the room he'd just entered. It was Caterina's bathroom and she was there, in the shower. And obviously, absolutely and positively naked. He knew he should leave immediately from the room. He knew it with every fiber of his being but the shower had a glass enclosure around it with what seemed like a little spotlight above, affording him a phenomenal view of her from the side.

"Sweet Jesus." Severus didn't mean for it to be audible, but ever so softly he'd uttered a muggle term that now made some sense to him.

Her hands were busy going through her long hair and as she did so, her breasts gave an occasional bounce. He could not help but stare at them, wondering what they might feel like in his hands. Then she turned partly toward the shower wall, giving him view of her equally appealing and round bottom. He stood completely mesmerized to the spot, watching her beautiful form as he felt the effects of doing so, taking hold over his body. It was only when he started to reach for his wand that some sort of clarity broke through in his mind, screaming at him to retreat before he did anything even remotely regrettable that could damage their friendship. Severus nearly flew from the room and found the closest unoccupied bathroom, where he doused himself in the face repeatedly with icy cold water, trying not to think about what he'd been about to do. For he had reached for his wand, seeking a way to clear up the frosty glass that somewhat hindered him from having a perfect view of her gloriously naked body.

After several long minutes, when he had calmed to a reasonable degree, he returned to the library. Trying to focus on anything but the images of her naked form upon his mind, he remembered the cat once more. He thought he was onto something about it and he sent out a summoning charm. In a few moments, the cat came bounding into the room, jumped up and settled back on its haunches in the chair beside him.

Severus studied it carefully and after a few more evasive spells, he determined that the cat was indeed at least part kneazle. No wonder it only seemed to tolerate Caterina. It had probably taken to her, knowing that she'd unknowingly associated with several wizards over the years. The cat appeared to know Severus was done with it and so it hopped down from its seat and silently left the library again, throwing back a pretentious glance at him. Severus sat wondering if the cat had led him into the bathroom on purpose. Whatever the reason, there was now one animal whom he would no longer begrudge its existence.

* * *

Caterina sat doodling on a notepad at the office desk. She had an idea growing in her mind for a few weeks now, though she spoke of it to no one. Jamison was definitely out of the question. She occasionally thought about discussing it with Severus but she was afraid even he would try to talk her out of it. So she decided to go it alone for now and she would also need to do some thorough research in the meantime.

The beginning of August saw Caterina in quite a mischievous mood. Severus could tell she was up to something but he had no idea what it might be. He didn't mind not knowing too much, because whatever she was up to seemed to put her in a very jovial mood and for that he was happy. Though he found himself in a rather foul mood, at times, with the thought of having to leave her soon and return to Hogwarts in a few short weeks. And this term did not appear to be shaping up with near the amount of weekend free time for him to get away to visit her. Not with the hosting of the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts this year and the visiting wizard schools.

One evening, early in August, Severus found himself reading in the office with Caterina curled up on the couch holding a rather dazed look on her face. She seemed unusually tired and quiet and before long he felt her head bump against his arm. He glanced over and found her asleep, while almost snuggled up beside him. He smiled contentedly to himself at this arrangement and went on reading until a little while later he heard a light knock at the door.

He turned carefully, not wanting to jar Caterina awake, to find Jamison standing there, juggling an odd variety of things. Severus raised an eyebrow and put a finger to his lips. Jamison apparently understood and quietly walked toward him, handing him a few beers.

"I was gonna ask if you wanted to watch the baseball game in here with me but I'm guessing your answer would be a no," he whispered as he observed Caterina sleeping next to Severus.

"You are correct but thank you anyway. Umm... might I ask what the flowers are for?"

Jamison put down a few of the other items and, with a smirk, he snatched the little envelope from atop the bouquet, opening it.

"Hmmm... well they appear to be from King... hoping she's well and saying it's been too long since he's last seen her... maybe they can have dinner sometime soon."

Jamison let out a mild snort and balled up the message while grabbing the flowers back up.

"Well, what she doesn't know won't hurt her, will it? I think these would do best to disappear. Enjoy the beer."

Jamison collected a few of the items, leaving two of the beers, gave Severus a nod and headed out of the room. As he left, Severus couldn't help but feel extreme jealousy over the thought of another man sending her flowers, especially since he'd never thought to do so himself. And he abhorred the idea of her out to dinner with any other man, though he knew he could honestly lay no claim to her. He was also quite curious at Jamison's reaction to the flowers and the eagerness to get rid of them behind her back. What could that mean? Severus pondered these things as he quickly summoned one of beers to his hand and silently twisted off its top, while glancing at the label – Guinness. He'd never tried any muggle beers before so this would be a first. It smelled decent enough.

'Hmm... not bad at all,' he mused to himself as he took a quick swig. Severus continued reading a little while longer until the sleeping beauty beside him stirred slightly. She lifted her head, giving him an odd smile and stared at him for a minute. Caterina struggled to sit up but stayed close beside Severus in doing so. Her eyes shifted to the dark bottle in his hand and she shook her head, smiling.

"Jamison?"

"No, I'm Severus, remember?" he joked with an arched brow.

She punched him hard in the ribs and giggled at the fake look of hurt he was trying to display on his face. Then she reached over and grasped the bottle from his hand and took a small drink, before handing it back to him, making a funny face and wrinkling her nose.

"Not my favorite for sure but I've had worse. I always forget how almost bitter it is."

"I like it just fine, and are you so sure you should have any? You seem a bit out of it tonight without the aid of any alcohol in your system at the moment."

That earned him another punch, to which he snickered, "And after just one sip, you're apparently becoming violent. Or at least trying to."

She narrowed her eyes at him and stuck out her tongue in a most childish manner, causing Severus to want to yank her into his lap and kiss her wildly. But instead he just shook his head and gripped the bottle fiercely, taking another drink himself. Her lips had just been on it and that was as close as he dared get to them.

Caterina settled herself quite close to him again and tried desperately to ignore the buzzing, repressed tension between them. God, how could he be so aggravatingly reserved like that? She'd barely managed not to throw herself into his lap and demand that he kiss her. The only thing holding her back was that she just refused to be the one; it had to him to make that move. So she sat there puzzling over what could be holding him back while mindlessly fingering the locket around her neck.

Severus watched her, while trying to calm and control his longings for her. To him, she suddenly appeared sad and in deep contemplation over something as she twirled the locket around her finger. He could never quite bring himself to express just how good it made him feel each time he saw her wearing it.

"Caterina? Are you ok?"

"Yes... No... Ahh... I just have a lot on my mind at the moment, I guess."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Severus asked quietly, hoping it wasn't some completely girly thing he was agreeing to listen to, though he knew her better than that.

"Maybe, but not right now. Later, sometime when Jamison is out."

This struck him as an odd request but he would surely hear whatever she had to say. He turned to face her as she was now rubbing her right hip with a perplexed look stuck on her face. Severus had observed her do as such, several times throughout the day, and wondered why, although he felt it best not to enquire about any parts of her body that were normally clothed around him. He was still going through the highly pleasant aftershocks of having seen her in the shower a few weeks ago and didn't know if he could handle thinking about any more parts of her body.

It wasn't long until he found she was asleep, beside him again. Being so late, he figured he should leave. But before he did, he carefully picked up Caterina and placed her in her own bed, pulling the blankets up over her. He paused a long moment, struggling within himself, until finally, his longing won out and he leaned down to kiss her softly on the forehead.

"Thank you Severus," she mumbled, scaring him almost as he'd thought she was fully asleep.

"You're welcome," he replied quietly as he swiftly stroked her cheek with his fingers and left, wondering if she was thanking him for carrying her to bed or for the kiss...or possibly both?

* * *

A/N: Who would have thought that Severus could be so thoughtful in repairing the locket and giving it back to her like that? Awww, Romantic! He's letting himself relax around her a bit more. Now, what has Caterina been up too? :D

They seriously need to get it together, don't they? At least somebody sees it and is eager to help, even if they don't help themselves! Good, old Jamison and oddly enough, even the cat! LOL XD


	22. Some Memories Last Forever

**Chapter 22**

**Some Memories Last Forever**

One afternoon later that week, Severus met Jamison as he was coming out the front door. Both men greeted each other and then Jamison called Severus back, before he entered the mansion. Severus stopped and turned, his hand perched on the door handle.

"Say, do you know what she's been up to, Severus?"

"No," he answered flatly. "What makes you think she's up to something?"

"I can just tell, she's acting a bit strange and being sneaky... she's planning something. If she won't talk to me, she'll talk to you. I just don't want her doing anything stupid or reckless, so keep an eye on her, will you?"

Severus nodded, "I always do."

Jamison walked away toward his car, muttering under his breath to himself, "Yeah, that's part of the problem, you only keep an eye on her... nothing else."

As he headed up the grand stairs, Severus wondered if this had anything to do with her strange behavior and comments a few nights ago. Hopefully, he would soon find out; after all she told him she wanted to wait until Jamison wasn't around.

He found her leaning on the window in the office, head against the glass, arms folded against her chest and legs crossed. Caterina's blue eyes held a distant gaze, apparently a million miles away from the room she occupied. She was dressed in a salmon colored sleeveless shirt that was tight around her chest and then flowed out and down, stopping several inches from her knees. And underneath, she also had on a pair of those nice tight jeans. Kind of an odd combination, he thought at first, but he knew nothing of muggle styles and he liked the look of this outfit on her.

Severus announced his presence with a tiny clearing of his throat. And once again she jumped, back away from the window, and lost her footing because of her crossed legs, thus banging her head hard against the glass. He rolled his eyes but hurried over to inspect her head.

"Why do you do that?" she asked rather perturbed, while rubbing her head and almost glaring up at him.

"I did nothing. It is you who apparently cannot stand or walk properly most of the time. Let me see."

He pulled her hand away and gently massaged the spot with his warm fingers for several minutes as she stood there, head tilted up at him with her eyes closed. It didn't appear to be bad enough to leave much of a bruise, but just to be sure, he silently healed the area for her. At last, he dropped his hand and took a small step back, as their closeness and her position was becoming unbearable for him.

"How is that?"

"Better, thank you, but it will probably leave a nice mark." Caterina frowned.

"You never know, might not," he said with a small twist of his lip.

Severus swiftly stepped toward the couch and sat down. Caterina followed but stopped short and stood just in front of him, holding a now hesitant look on her face.

"Out with it, already," he demanded, sounding harsher than he meant to.

"Out with what?"

"You know what. Whatever it is that Jamison thinks you're up to."

"He talked to you?" Caterina asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes and I told him I'd keep an eye on you, because I also think that you're up to something."

She narrowed her eyes at him and muttered, "Traitor."

He just threw back his head and laughed. When he stopped, he saw she'd pulled her face into a somewhat pouty glare.

"Are you done laughing at me?" she asked.

"I'm not laughing at you, just at your silly comments," Severus said dryly.

Caterina closed her eyes and took a deep breath, suddenly growing serious. Severus leaned forward, closer toward her, concerned that he'd hurt her feelings now.

"What is it Caterina?" he asked gently.

"Well I... I've been wanting... I've been wanting to do something for a long time, but... I... I just didn't know what. And then I got this idea... and I didn't want to tell Jamison... well... because... because... it's pretty personal... you see. And well, there's some things he doesn't know and wouldn't understand... so I... I just did it on my own."

Severus hadn't heard her stumble and have such a hard time with words in ages. And he couldn't seem to make any sense in what she'd said either. He was also a little on edge, waiting to find out just what she'd gone and done on her own.

"I'm not sure I follow." Severus' brow knit in confusion.

"Here, I'll show you, but you've got to promise not to tell Jamison."

He searched her eyes and could tell she really meant that, though he would never think of doing such a thing. He nodded assuredly at her, his own face now holding a deeply serious tone. His dark eyes watched her almost unblinkingly, waiting. Caterina took a tiny step back and pulled the bottom of her shirt up past her waist and proceeded to push down the top of her jeans on the right side, near her hip area. He caught what appeared to be the top of a nasty bruise at first and he felt a sharp pang of fear in his heart. Then he leaned forward a bit more but it wasn't enough. So he reached out, gently placing his hand on her thigh, carefully drawing her closer to him.

As he got closer, he saw it wasn't a bruise at all but a rather delicate and elegantly done tattoo of a tree. The whole area it took up was less than the size of a small apple and, instead of leaves, it had scrolly and flourishing branches and roots. On the left side, Severus thought he saw a letter D and he gingerly ran a finger over it without thinking. She suddenly gripped his shoulder tightly and inhaled a slow, sharp breath.

"I'm sorry, did that hurt?" he asked while at the same time realizing they were in a very intimate position and he was growing very hot over it.

Caterina let out a tiny gasp. "It's still a little tender."

But in truth, Caterina really had just been overwhelmed by his close contact and the sensuous feeling of his warm breath, knowing his lips were so close to the skin of her hip. She wanted to collapse right into his lap, so she'd grabbed his shoulder to steady herself from doing so. Caterina and Severus locked eyes as he ever so slowly inched back away from her and she carefully pulled the top of her jeans back up.

"You went and had that done all alone?"

"Yes."

"I would have gone with you, had you told me. Those aren't places you should be at, all by yourself, Caterina," he spoke rather sharply.

"It was decent enough and safe. I did my homework before running out and getting this and I was very careful in selecting a really good tattoo artist. I'm not that stupid," she finished almost angrily.

Severus reached out and gently took her hand, "Caterina, I'm not angry with you at all. Not in the least. But I- I care about your safety."

"Well, then if you want, you can come along later when I go get it finished."

"Yes, I most certainly will."

* * *

As the sun was just starting to set, Caterina stopped short in front of a horribly dingy and shabby looking establishment. Grasping her left side to stop from knocking her down from his impact, Severus barely avoided plowing right into her, as he remembered not to grab her around her right hip. Seriously, sometimes he wondered how she managed walking without him there with her to either hold her back from falling or to catch her before she rammed straight into something.

"Here it is," Caterina said turning to look up at him with a little playful smirk, as he shook his head at her, slowly and hesitantly releasing her waist.

Then again, the look she'd just given him made him half wonder if she actually enjoyed doing that to him. He clenched a fist. Why were women so hard to read? Well, in his case only one woman.

Severus had a hard time imagining her ever crossing the threshold of anything so remotely rundown. He couldn't believe he himself was about to enter such a place. The music that was blasting out from within seemed to be rattling the whole building. Blazing, blinking and flashing signs filled all the window space and the sign-free areas were plastered with pictures of various tattoo designs and body parts proudly displaying tattoos. Caterina entered the building and a giant surly-looking man stared her up and down way too greedily for Severus' taste, causing him to take her arm and pull her protectively closer to himself. She turned and flashed him a sweet smile as he widened his eyes at her with a half angry look.

The surly man pointed a stubby fat finger at Caterina and spoke in a deep, crusty voice, "You Brick's?"

Caterina simply smiled and nodded sweetly while Severus decided to tighten his hold on her, moving his hand to her waist.

"Oy! Brick! Your Sweetthang be back! Looks like she brought her big brother," the foul man yelled toward the back of the building where several doors and hallways were.

"Fuck," came loudly from somewhere in the back.

Caterina snorted and gave the man a little disapproving look, "I did not, you big dope."

Severus all but growled into Caterina's hair at her remark and slid his free hand toward his wand.

"You didn't? My bad," he replied and then he yelled again, "Never mind, just some dude!"

At that, Caterina twirled around gracefully. Placing a firm hand on Severus' chest, while smiling wryly up at him, she quietly said, "Calm down, Severus. I promise you, none of them are nearly as rough and tough as they look."

His black eyes glinted down at her staring, momentarily mesmerized by the warmth of their closeness, her glorious scent and the fact that his hand was now gripping her waist again. She giggled, shook her head at him and tapped the tip of his nose playfully before turning on her toe again. When he drew his eyes away from her, he observed a tall skinny guy with short black spiked hair, wearing a tight black t-shirt with jeans approaching them. His left arm was entirely covered in one large colorful tattoo from what Severus could see. The guy smiled broadly at Caterina and, reaching out to take her hand, pulled it up and placed a kiss on it, causing Severus to growl internally this time.

"Hey beautiful! Good to see your bright sun-shininess back in this shithole. Come on back."

He led them to a small but surprisingly sterile looking room that held a large assortment of tattoo inks and equipment. There was a skinny long, black vinyl-padded table and several miss-matched chairs. The man grabbed a spray bottle, misted the bed, and quickly wiped it dry. Then he patted the top and raised an eyebrow at Caterina, who walked over toward him. She backed herself against the table and made to hop up but it was just a tad too high for her to do so. The guy caught her, gripped his hands just below her hips and popped her up on top, carefully. She swung her legs around and stretched them out in front of her and leaned back on her hands.

"Sorry, that little fuckin' stool went and buggered off again. This bed's set for the height I need to work at and you're just a little sweet pea-sized thing," he said with a wink.

Caterina giggled as Severus fought back an almost audible snarl over that comment. The tattooed guy seemed to suddenly realize Severus was there in the room with them and shot out a hand to him.

"Friends call me Brick."

Severus glanced at Caterina, who cocked her head sideways at him and mouthed the words, _'Be nice' _with a little wink.

He curtly shook the offered hand and acidly replied, "Severus."

"Really! That's fuckin' great! Your name is Severus? It's completely bloody brill! Why couldn't my own mother, rest her soul, have been smart to come up with somethin' more original, like that? It's way better than a pansy-ass name like Harry. Com'on now – half the country's population of men over sixty are named Harry," he snorted in disgust, shaking his head.

Severus had to silently agree with him over that, though. He'd never really given his name much thought through the years but he knew he preferred it to Harry as well. The name Harry was one that Severus loathed hearing these days.

Brick turned toward the equipment and started readying his stuff while Caterina sweetly motioned for Severus to pull a chair over and sit by her. He didn't move the chair but just went and stood right by her shoulder, wanting to keep everything this tattoo artist did in his sight at all times.

"Alright love, no changes or anything since the last time, right?" Brick asked.

Caterina sat up fully, as they went over a small card that apparently held a replica image of what was to be the finished product on her hip. Then she proceeded to unbutton and roll the right side of her jeans down enough to allow him access to work on the area, all the while still managing to remain relatively modest.

"This won't take but maybe fifteen, twenty minutes this time to finish it completely. And if my flippin' needle jams up this time, I gots plenty more in the correct size for this, now," he smoothly said with a wink. "Oh and sweets, if it gets too excessively painful at any point, let me know and we'll take a break."

Caterina finally laid back completely on the bed, flipping her hair out off the edge as she did. She rested her hands together across her stomach and then flicked her eyes up into Severus' eyes as he stood over her, staring straight down into her eyes.

He thought she was absolutely radiant looking, laying there in that sweet, sleeveless top with her shoulders exposed and her curls sweeping over the back as they were. As he searched her vivid blue eyes though, he picked up on a tinge of fearfulness and tension. Severus wondered if it was because of the soon coming pain when he suddenly realized he could help with that to a degree. Hidden perfectly, being at the back of the bed as he was, he easily performed a silent charm to lessen the pain for her for the second time that day.

As the needle started against her skin, her breath gave a slight hitch and her eyes closed for a moment. Severus placed his hand on her warm, bare shoulder and almost immediately Caterina reached up and clasped her hand to his. She shot a sweet, thankful smile at him before closing her eyes again for a while.

Like he had promised, Brick was quickly done. Caterina surprisingly noted that the pain was much more tolerable this time. After the area was cleaned and very lightly lotioned, he left the room to grab several items and to give her a few moments to collect herself, if needed.

"Severus?"

"Yes?"

"Come over and tell me what you think," and she patted the bed beside her hip.

He masterly rounded the table to the other side of her, tilting his head just a fraction to inspect the final image. His eyes were met with shock. For the finishing touches were in no way what he'd expected, but instead he found four words, names rather now added in with the little elegant design. At the bottom, along the roots, were _Charles_ and _Susannah_, her parents' names. That fit. And at the top to the right side where he'd touched what he thought resembled a D earlier, now read _Drew_, for her brother. But what surprised him was that on the left side of the tree, was _Eileen_, his own mother's name.

Severus' eyes flew questioningly to hers and she just smiled and wiped what looked like a tiny tear out of the corner of her eye.

"It just made sense to have her on my little family tree as well. After all... well, you know..."

Severus understood and he felt greatly touched by her gesture. He had no idea as to what to say about it though, so he only reached over and stroked her cheek tenderly as Brick knocked and entered the room again. Damn fool had to come back at the worst time. Severus quickly dropped his hand. But now he thought he also understood what she'd been trying to say earlier. This tattoo was her way of holding onto the memory of those who meant the most to her in her life and keeping them always close with her.

* * *

Over the next two weeks, they seemed to spend every possible minute of the days together. Severus had decided it would be in everyone's best interest to forewarn her of when he'd be leaving for Hogwarts. He had also informed her that there were several things taking place during the year that would severely limit his ability to visit her throughout it. Caterina didn't say much and as the day rapidly approached, she became quieter and her sweet face somewhat sadder.

On his last day, he didn't arrive at the mansion until late in the afternoon, wanting to get several errands out of the way. And it had taken him a little while, but he believed he had come up with an effective means of saying good-bye to Caterina. Severus was in no way looking forward to having to do so, but it could not be avoided.

Early in the evening, he suggested that they take a walk and, with a tiny smile, she silently agreed. Severus surprised her by slipping his long fingers into hers as they walked side by side. They spoke but a little. Caterina had so much she wanted to say to him and so many things she wanted to ask but she did not trust her voice and her heart told her just to enjoy these last few moments. And fight it though as she tried, the fear and panic of what he'd done last summer kept surging through her mind. They could not walk all night but she wished they would, just so she didn't have to let go of him. But presently, they were returning to the mansion now, and Caterina felt a wild flurry of desperation coming over her as their feet hit the porch steps.

Severus stopped and gazed at her for a long moment before speaking.

"Caterina, I'm not going to come in," Severus began quietly.

All she could do was nod. That was it. The long, held back tears broke free and she lunged her arms around his waist. He gently brought his arms around her and pressed her head against his chest, causing her to cry harder, and hold onto him tighter. She gave up all thought of control and let it all come pouring out through her tears and small broken sobs.

Severus had actually expected her to be sad. He even thought of the possibility of a few tears from her. But this? What was this? This was heart wrenching. He was wholly unprepared to deal with this. Caterina seemed to cling to him as if her life depended on him. _Him? _A tiny thought started to take root in his mind and it fanned at the flame within his heart for her. Could she? Did she? Was there the smallest of chances that Caterina might see him more than just as a friend? Was that possible?

Suddenly, he reached up and tilted her head back to stare into her beautiful vivid blue eyes. Severus eagerly searched them, now wondering if he'd been reading her wrong for the past few months. Hope quickly spread itself through him and he did not shut it out as he'd tried in the past. Instead he marveled at the possibilities.

Severus was burning with a raging desire to kiss her like never before, but he still refused himself the pleasure at this moment. For if he did, he knew he'd absolutely and positively never be able to leave her afterwards. He couldn't turn his back on everything he'd worked so carefully to keep safe and guarded all these years - his position as a spy. Though denying the extreme urge was akin to what he imagined one felt like at having their beating heart ripped out of their chest alive. He'd have to suffice with just holding her close and for as long as possible. So, with that, he backed himself down onto the stone porch steps and roughly pulled her down as well, settling her onto his knee.

"Caterina, please don't do this," he begged in an urgent whisper, tenderly taking her face between his masterful hands.

Then he pulled her so close to him that her face was buried next to his and resting gently atop his shoulder. She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly again, sobbing and shaking. Severus quickly felt her hot tears dropping and running down the exposed skin of his neck. He gently nuzzled his face against her soft neck and stopped his warm lips just next to her ear.

"Please, please don't do this to me Caterina," Severus pleaded in a whipser. "I'm already not really looking forward to going back as it is but you know I have to. I'll come back as soon as I'm able."

She seemed to lift her head a little at that and ever so quietly whispered at his ear, her sweet lips completely pressing into it, "Y-yo-u pr-prom-ise?

Was this also partly what had her so worked up and crying? He knew he'd never explained his reasons for why he'd acted as such last summer because he just couldn't bring himself to that point yet. Someday, someday in the very near future, he hoped that he could do so if he was reading her right. But now would not be the time for it. Severus pulled back away from her and turned her chin gently toward him. He gazed into her now sad and very wet, blue eyes for a long moment.

"Yes, you silly girl! I'm coming back," he said with a very relieved chuckle. "I promise you."

Then he tightened his hold around her most fiercely and drank in her delicious scent for as long as he possibly could, along with the feeling of her there in his arms, trying desperately to commit it all to memory. They stayed wrapped in each other's arms for what seemed like hours. Caterina finally calmed herself to some reasonable degree, yet she still remained quite snuggled into Severus' neck. He couldn't seem to find the strength within himself to pry her away. She felt perfect there like that. He didn't want to do so, but he knew the longer he waited, it would just become even harder for both of them.

Ever so slowly and gently, he pulled her off of himself and stood both of them up again. Her eyes were almost puffy now from all her crying. Severus put a hand to her chin and tilted her head up to face him. He caressed her cheek several times and she managed a weak smile for him. Though it took all his willpower and control to keep himself in check, he gripped her face between his hands once more, staring deeply into her eyes for a long moment before placing a tender and lingering kiss on her forehead. Then he guided her gently toward the door with his hands.

Bending close her ear, he whispered, "Caterina, I'll be back as soon as I am able. Now go back inside to Jamison."

Caterina slowly nodded and then reached up, touched his cheek and slid a finger to his lips. As she did so, they pulled into one of his rarest of smiles, only for her. Then she closed her eyes and turned to the door. As it shut, Severus felt like the wind had been beaten from him. Sucking in a large breath of air, he forced his feet to get moving as he knew he had only moments to spare at best. With a flick of his wand, he cast forth several spells in the direction of Caterina's room, slightly enhancing his original plan. His only regret was not being able to see her face. Then before disapparating, he placed about a dozen protective spells and wards over the place, all for her safety.

Caterina found herself being pulled inside the mansion by another set of strong arms that quickly wrapped around her. It was Jamison. He didn't have to be told, he just knew of course that she would need him to help steady herself for a few long moments.

After a little bit, he spoke softly, "I know it's hard. The summer got you quite spoiled with him, but he promised he'll come when he's free, right? You've got to be strong. You never know when he might surprise you, sweetie."

"I-I know. Thank you. I'm gonna... gonna go upstairs now."

With a big squeeze, he released her and watched as she slowly mounted each step in an almost pained manner. Ah... these two were going to be the death of him!

Caterina entered her room, flipping the wall switch that lit the lamp on her nightstand. She kicked her shoes off into a corner, almost blindly made her way to her bed, not even pausing to change. As she reached down to pull the blankets back, something oddly small and soft ended up in her hand instead. And suddenly she was overcome by a deep, rich and wonderfully familiar smell. Caterina gave her head a little shake and forced her eyes to focus. Then she slapped both hands over her mouth to stifle her surprised scream.

There before her eyes, her whole bed was nothing now but an entire sea of deep crimson rose petals that felt like pure velvet to the touch. Every possible inch of it was covered in layers of gorgeous red petals! And nestled on the center of her pillows, tied with a wide silver ribbon, were easily four or five dozen long stem roses of the same glorious shade. A small parchment envelope with her name on it lay beside the flowers. Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized Severus' small handwriting. With trembling hands, she carefully lifted it and untucked the flap, to pull out the flat parchment card from within.

"_These mere roses can in no way compare to you and your beauty, but I hope that you enjoy them, regardless. I promise I will return to you. Severus_"

How on earth had he managed to sneak this past her? And when? Then she decided it didn't matter because it had achieved exactly what he must have been hoping for. Caterina was in complete awe and shock over his extreme display and it calmed her greatly to the point that she was all but beaming through her tears now. What else could be done other than to fall right into this splendid and thoughtful gift? As she laid there, eyes closed and smiling, just relishing in the softness of the sweet petals and their beautiful aroma, she wondered just how many women the world over could claim a powerful act of affection such as this?

* * *

Severus, of course, returned to Hogwarts, disgruntled as ever in having to deal with the students and the impending arrival of the Triwizard Tournament. Each time he thought he had worked it out to visit Caterina over a weekend, something insufferably horrid would come up, thus making his plans invalid. Once Harry's name came out of the goblet on Halloween, Severus seriously doubted as to whether Dumbledore would allow him to leave even over the Christmas holidays.

He was left with only his thoughts on the possibilities about Caterina's feelings for him. And he was encouraged by weekly letters that she started sending him in their absence from each other. Severus never responded as he wasn't keen on the idea of anything from him to a woman possibly being tracked or inspected. She knew his position and he believed she would understand.

Jamison's ever-watchful eyes were on Caterina. He had been unsure how Severus' leaving would affect her, especially with the upcoming anniversary of her mother's death, but Caterina weathered the fall months surprisingly strong. He knew at times she was just trying to get through the days, though, hoping to be closer to a time when Severus might show up. Jamison hoped for everyone's sake he'd make it by Christmas at the latest. King had made a few appearances again and Jamison, though he liked the man, had come to the conclusion that he just wasn't the one best suited for Caterina.

Caterina was of course friendly with him, trying at times to limit the amount of time she spent with King, not wanting him to get the wrong impression, without directly saying so. Although, finally one chilly day in early November, Caterina had to firmly put her foot down and draw a solid line for him.

King had arrived early in the day, wanting to show off his new racing motorcycle and insisted on giving Caterina a spin on it. She wasn't thrilled at the thought but she hoped it would get him on his way, once she gave in. And as soon as she found herself geared up and behind him on the bike, she knew it was a mistake just waiting to happen while they sped off.

Sure enough, Caterina wasn't totally sure of how long they'd been flying down road after road but she suddenly felt funny in the head and quite uneasy. She leaned her helmeted head forward against King to try and focus her eyes, when a loud smacking sound was heard.

"Caterina? Caterina? Are you ok, pretty girl? Come on, wake up."

She slowly opened her eyes and found herself practically in King's arms, alongside the road.

"Wh-hat? What happened?"

"I think you must have gotten a tad lightheaded or something and started to feel faint. Felt like you were slipping off and I just managed to grab hold of you and get the bike stopped."

"Oh? Was there a loud crack or banging sound?" she asked him, still very confused.

"Yeah, when I stopped so quick-like, the force made your helmet snap into mine, it was quite the jolt," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his own neck.

"Sorry about that," Caterina half muttered, watching him while still trying to shake the faintish feeling from her system.

King was watching her and held a rather bemused expression on his own face. She smiled sweetly at him, ready to thank him for his quick actions, when she found herself half smothered by his mouth on hers. It was a nice warm, inviting feeling, and at first she was confused as to who was kissing her. Her mind was grabbing hold of an image of Severus but when she reached to run her fingers through his hair, it wasn't there. That alone brought her fully and swiftly back to her senses as her hand also swiftly made contact with the side of King's face.

"Now what was that for?" he asked, his face looking more of the triumphant nature than of one just rebuked.

"King, I don't feel that way about you," she pointedly told him.

"But I thought, awww... sheeshhh... I was kind of hoping you'd just give me a chance still, anyway... you know, give us some time and maybe slowly – " King bowed his head in an almost sheepish manner.

"King, I'll be completely honest with you." Caterina tried to be gentle in her words. "You really are a great guy, but there's someone else I'm interested in."

"Well, damn, I should have known it. Let me guess, he's some fabulously gorgeous guy, loaded and from some exotic sounding place?"

Caterina giggled and shook her head no.

"Some nobility waiting to inherit a fortune?" King guessed in a tease.

Again she shook her head no. "No, he's actually a teacher - a Chemistry teacher."

"What? Well, what's his name, 'cause I think I might do to set through a few of his so-called Chemistry classes and find out how he put the moves so successfully on you. No wait, don't! I might feel the need to run down the competition should I meet him. And that would just lead to bad things, I'm sure..."

Caterina had absolutely no intention of telling King anything more other than what she'd already said but the image of King and Severus fighting over her was one that she found amusing. Assuming that Severus would indeed fight for her and that he'd easily win. Yes he would, she was sure on both counts.

King helped Caterina back on the bike once she felt steady and this time much more slowly and carefully, he headed back to the mansion with her. The ride was much more pleasant at this pace but she'd be happy to never see the bike again and it was really getting cold. He eased her off and removed his own helmet to say good-bye.

"I know I _should_ wish you and him well and all but I wouldn't really mean it, so... how about I just say the moment it doesn't work out, you give me a call instead." King finished with a deep chuckle but she could see the seriousness behind his dark eyes.

Caterina smiled, "I don't think that's going to happen."

He nodded in acknowledgment, titled his head down, and quickly kissing her forehead. "He better take really good care of you and I mean it - extremely good care."

And with that, he was off, revving the engine to its fullest.

Caterina had no doubt that if things developed between her and Severus that he would take the ultimate best care of her. And she of him. Now, all she had to do was wait. Wait for him to come back. And wait to see where things went from there.

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A/N: Ahh... So now we know what had Cat so distracted - a new painful tattoo! And talk about making an impression - what a why to say goodbye, with all those roses! Severus can be quite romantic at times, though he probably doesn't even realize it! Now, can we say bye-bye to King? :P

I'd love some feedback - what are your thoughts so far on what's been happening between Severus and Caterina? Any questions, comments or if you would just like to share some loving - I'd appreciate greatly it! Thanks for reading and Snapey hugs to you all! ;)


	23. Yours, and Yours Alone

A/N: This is honestly hands down one of my most favorite chapters to write so far in this whole story and I'd like to dedicate it to all my faithfully sweet readers and reviewers! There's lots more to come in this story - not quite half-way through yet! Thanks for all the wonderful encouragement and support! Please keep it coming! Even if you've never left me a comment, I appreciate you taking the time to read story, though feel free to leave a comment at any time! Ya'll are the best! Thank for all the warm fuzzies!:)

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**Chapter 23**

**Yours, and Yours Alone**

Severus had to all but refrain from attacking half of the students during the dreadfully awful Yule Ball on Christmas. Everywhere he looked, he saw couples. Couples holding each other close and dancing together. Couples kissing and making out, all over the grounds. All it did was remind him of Caterina, driving him almost mad, wanting to be with her and wanting to know exactly how she felt about him. It had been four very long months since he'd last seen her. And he'd spent a good part of those four months trying to figure out if she might possibly see him as more than just a good friend.

He'd finally decided that he wanted to know the truth but he was in no way sure in how to go about finding it out. Watching these hormonal driven teen-agers all around him gave him no insight that was for sure. There were a few times he found himself on the way to the library, ready to charm a relationship book into something else so he could swipe it for the sole purpose of attaining a bit of possible enlightenment on the matter. But he quickly retreated each time, not wanting anyone to happen upon him, even if it were the dead of night. Severus thought he would rather go it alone and pray for a miracle, than be caught with such reading materials.

After shaking off that blasted coward Karkaroff, and with one last round through the castle and its grounds, Severus headed almost wearily toward his chambers. Another lonely, boring Christmas come and gone for him. As he was passing through the last corridor leading to his rooms, he was most surprised to happen upon Dumbledore.

"Ahh... there you are Severus."

"Headmaster?" Severus answered flatly.

"You look paler than usual Severus? Everything all right?"

"Fine, absolutely fine," Severus sneered with a derisive look upon his eye.

"If you say so... anyway, I just thought you might like a little time, you know, to get away, being the holidays and whatnot."

Severus wondered if he'd heard him correctly and slowly he turned to face the headmaster completely, giving him a questioning inspection.

"I think that we'll find ourselves quite capable without you, should you choose to take a few well-earned days to yourself and return home. That is entirely up to you though," Dumbledore said, eyes sparkling in the dim light, "where you decide to go. And it would be most prudent for you to be back at Hogwarts no later than on the morning of the thirty-first."

The headmaster kindly nodded, turned on his heel and ventured off with a tiny lilt in his step, leaving Severus to just stare after him for a few brief seconds, amazed at his sudden change in luck.

Early the next morning, Severus took leave of Hogwarts, bound for none other than Clarkstone Mansion. For once, he cared nothing about the time of day and half believed that Caterina would not mind as well. Though he had a key, he in no way thought it a wise idea to just let himself in after being absent for so long. So he rang the bell and waited impatiently.

About a minute later the door was opened, affording his eyes the most glorious vision they'd seen in months: that of sweet Caterina. She blinked twice, gasped and softly whispered his name before wholly launching herself into his arms. Severus chuckled at her sheer exuberance and hugged her back just as enthusiastically. He decided to take this as a very good sign from her. He also noted that she seemed positively beaming and stayed very close to him while they spent the morning and early afternoon catching up. Severus was quite dismayed to find out he had missed her birthday, only five days earlier. And after a light lunch, they ended up taking a walk, hand in hand, heading down toward the little nature park.

It was cold out but that didn't seem to bother Caterina in the least and her excitement only encouraged him in his deliberations on how strong her feelings for him might possibly be. Once they entered the park, he dropped her hand and took her by the arm, wanting a better grip on her as there were small patches of ice every so often. The sky was also clouding over, giving the threatening look of more snow soon to come.

They walked in silence for a while, arm in arm along the quiet snowy, wooded path that ran parallel to the small stream. It was beginning to snow again, very lightly. Could their surroundings get any more perfect, he thought to himself? Severus still felt bad about her birthday but he had an idea, one that had been lodged in his mind forever now, it seemed. He wondered, should he try it? What's the absolute worst that could come of it? What did he have to lose? Not much. And what he could possibly gain made it entirely worth the risk. As he weighed the consequences, he decided to depart from his usual, overly cautious self.

Severus stopped and turned toward her.

"Caterina?" he said in a low whisper.

"Yes?" She stopped as well, turning to look up into his eyes, questioningly.

"I am truly sorry about missing your birthday."

She smiled and gently shook her head. "Severus, really it's ok. Spending time with you is better than a gift."

She gave a little happy sigh and winked at him. Did she really mean that, as much as it seemed like she did? That was it, he had to try; foolish though it may be in the end, but he would finally know once and for all. He was tired of all the back and forth, up and down feelings he'd been going through. He wanted clear answers and he was going to get them, whether he liked them or not. Caterina started to walk again but he gently grabbed her arm, stopping her and pulling her back toward him.

"Caterina," he began softly again, "there _is_ something I'd like to give you."

She turned again and looked up at him, with a sweet, expectant smile upon her face. "Oh?"

Gently, his now ungloved hand touched her chin and lifted her face further up toward him. He caressed her cheek with his warm fingers. Their gaze met and locked onto each other. Then he bent down and ever so tenderly kissed her, full on the lips, lingering a long moment. When he slowly pulled his lips away, her eyes were closed and her breathing had deepened. Was that a good sign, he wondered? He waited, heart pounding, for her reaction, while a mass of strong feelings were unleashed within him, causing him to want her lips against his even more. Caterina finally smiled and opened her eyes.

"That was quite nice," she whispered, almost breathlessly.

"Really?"

The flicker in his heart surged into a large, solid flame. And he couldn't stop himself now as his lips were just being drawn back to hers like a powerful magnet, his head bending closer and closer again, waiting and hoping for further approval. He needed to feel her lips with his again, so strong was the urge.

"Yes. In fact, another one might be even nicer," Caterina answered rather shyly.

With both hands carefully gripping her face, he bent once again to kiss her, this time with slightly parted lips. She responded in kind. Caterina reached her own hands up and grasped Severus' face as well, though soon her fingers trailed on down to his neck and found themselves running up through his long, black hair. His hands quickly laced through her curls to softly hold her head, as if he were afraid she'd somehow slip away from him. After a few moments, they were seeking out each other's mouths in full earnestness.

The kiss grew and exploded into an urgent longing that could hardly be quenched. Never had he experienced anything as wonderful as this first deep and very real kiss. Her mouth was delightfully warm and she tasted like the sweetest dessert that had ever crossed his lips. Pure bliss. There was a surge of heat from within his heart as the solid flame erupted into multiple flames and this time Severus would dare not stop them. _Ever_. And in that moment, he knew there would never be anyone else that his lips could ever touch but hers.

When they finally parted, it was not because they'd had enough, but because they were both completely breathless. It had been amazing, simply amazing, kissing her like that finally. Severus tenderly kissed her lips once more and then pulled her as tightly as he dared into his arms and encircled Caterina with them, all the while staring deep into her eyes, not wanting to even blink. She sighed again most contentedly, smiling blissfully up at him and touching his face softly with her hand. Her blue eyes were blazing, even in the dimming daylight. He was in awe and completely speechless - that kiss held so much more from her than he'd ever expected to receive.

Caterina gave an excited little laugh and spoke first. "That was a very nice umm... gift, one of the nicest, in fact. Ahh... so how long exactly, have you been wanting to do that, Severus?"

"What gave me away?" he asked with a slight chuckle, while cupping the back of her head with his hand again, holding her close.

"Let's see...," Caterina chuckled. "Well, the intensity of it for one. And secondly, the somewhat long-harbored passion I felt along behind it."

His face grew very serious and thoughtful looking, as he gently took her face into his warm grasp. "The honest truth?"

"Yes, of course!" And with that, she pushed back slightly out of his grasp and gave him a playful punch on the arm.

"In complete truth, oh, since maybe about two whole seconds after I first laid eyes on you, standing there, looking so beautiful in my living room, two and a half years ago."

She raised an eyebrow. "And you waited this long to do something about it?"

"I certainly didn't want to rush things, and, well, I was never sure about how you might respond. You might have slapped me and walked away and I'd never see you again." Severus bowed his head slightly. "Although, for a while it was I that walked away instead, wasn't it, too scared to even think of the possibilities of there ever being anything between us."

"Severus! You really thought I'd do that?" she gasped. "And... that's... is that the real reason you did what you did last August?"

He pulled her into his arms again and drew her tightly against him. Then he closed his eyes and slowly nodded. "Caterina, why on earth would you dare want to... to be with someone who had always been so horrible to you, for most of your life? I'd convinced myself there was no possible hope between us. I truly meant it when I said that we're from opposite worlds, because we just are, even now so. And then after what I did to you last summer, I really didn't think I'd have a chance at even being your friend again, let alone anything more."

"Oh, Severus! You know you didn't need to wait almost three whole years to find any of this out. And seeing how I didn't slap you and walk away, I'd say you've damn well got a lot to make up for now, mister. You better get busy," she laughed, narrowing her eyes teasingly at him.

"Oh, with pleasure," he whispered low and seductively in her ear.

He quickly met her lips again and they kissed quite fervently for a long while. Caterina finally had to push him away just to catch her breath again.

"You're wasting no time in getting off to a great start, I'll give you that!"

She giggled and pressed her head against his warm hand as it gently stroked her cheek, "I am curious; what made you finally try, today?"

"Nothing in particular. I decided I could not wait any longer and took a gamble on it, hoping against hope that I had been reading you right."

He paused as a quite solemn look overtook his face and he gripped hers fervently, yet tenderly between his hands.

"Caterina, please - you've got to tell me. I care very, _very_ deeply about you, more than I've ever cared about anyone else in my entire life. But have I been reading you right? Do you care about me in that way at all? You're not just going along with this to humor me, right? Don't worry about hurting my feelings. I must know the truth, please."

Caterina sighed deeply, closed her eyes and buried her head against his chest for several long moments. The rough, wool fabric of his coat was warm on her cheeks and was saturated with his scent. Slightly woodsy, yet a touch spicy, with a hint of leather and several herbs that she could never seem to place. It was unlike any cologne she'd ever smelled. It was better and she loved it. Severus seemed to be holding his breath, waiting for her answer.

Caterina deeply inhaled his scent once more, letting it fill her from head to toe before tilting her head back up to face him. "Clarify something for me first, Severus."

"Yes?"

"When you ask me if I care about you in _'that way'_, what way are you referring to? _Love_?" Caterina asked, looking intently up at him.

He touched her cheek and stared seriously into her eyes with such an intense earnestness. "Yes. Tell me, do you – do you love me? I have to know."

She reached a single finger up and brushed it against his lips. He couldn't help but kiss it. She closed her eyes and slowly inhaled his wonderful scent again before answering him.

"Yes. Severus, I do. Even when we were children, I felt strangely drawn to you. I guess that's why I drove you crazy, all the times I tried to tag along behind you and Drew. When you came back into my life the other summer, I had no idea what to expect and I hoped we could finally become friends once everything got explained about the locket. It didn't exactly go the way I thought it would with that but... well, you know," she smiled up at him. "I'm not exactly sure when it started, but I know in my heart that I've been falling in love with you for a long while now. I was beginning to think you'd take forever to figure it out on your end though. So I'm glad you finally caught on and took a gamble today."

At that, she stretched up on her tiptoes and he leaned down to meet her with his lips again. He was quite intent on kissing her for as long as she'd allow him the privilege of his mouth upon hers but before too long into it, Caterina slowly pulled away and started giggling.

"What?" he asked softly.

"Kind of feels really liberating, wouldn't you say, getting this out in the open and all, finally?" Caterina asked, beaming up at him.

Severus' lips curled into a grin. "Yes. Yes, you're quite right. It is."

He sighed deeply and kissed her forehead again and then her lips as his heart and head were both wrapping themselves up in this newly named emotion, love. What she had just told him was far more than he'd ever dared to dream or hope for, but he eagerly accepted it, as he truly felt the same way for her. _Love_.

"Yes, very liberating, to know," Severus mused.

She grasped the front of his coat tightly in both of her hands and pulled herself as close as she could. His arms encircled her securely again and his smile turned a little smuggish, as he cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow at her, thinking of something he now wanted to know.

"Caterina, now tell _me_ something." Severus smirked

"Hmm?"

"How long have you been _wanting_ me to kiss you? Despite how I may have acted in the past..."

She smiled coyly and laughed. "Well, remember that day you caught me in your arms in the studio?"

He grinned and widened his eyes. "Yes. Very vividly."

"I was sort of wondering that day, when your hands were around my waist…," she said dreamily. "And well, I was wondering the whole time what your lips would feel like on mine.…"

He leaned down very closely again and almost purred in his rich, velvety voice, brushing his lips lightly against her ear as he spoke, "And? How do they feel?"

She shivered excitedly and clasped her soft hands around his neck. "Quite heavenly, like they were made to kiss mine."

"Good to know. I feel the same about yours. In fact - you're absolutely right. My lips were made to kiss yours, and yours alone."

With that, their lips found each other's again. There was silence for a long while with only an occasional soft moan escaping from one of them. At last, the feeling of Caterina shivering in his arms brought him back to the reality around them. The snow was beginning to fall faster now and they both had quite a bit of it in their hair.

"You're cold. Why don't we continue this somewhere warmer?"

And the next thing Caterina knew, she was no longer anything close to standing on her own two feet, but rather being cradled in Severus' arms. She gasped, slid her arms around his neck and laughed delightedly when she saw the wicked grin playing around his lips and the playful glint in his eyes. She traced a soft finger around his lips, then pressed a long, lingering kiss on them.

"How long?" she demanded.

"What?" Severus asked, feigning innocence. "I've carried you to bed before when you were asleep, you know."

"_Severus_."

"I see I can't put anything past you, can I?"

"Not much, no."

"Oh, if you really must know, I've wanted to sweep you up in my arms like this ever since the concert at least," he replied in mock reluctance and with a roll of his gleaming, black eyes for dramatic emphasis.

"You know, I probably would have been just fine with it, if you had actually tried that night."

"Now you tell me!"

A little while later, they were back at the mansion, together on the large leather couch, warming themselves in front of the massive fireplace in the cozy office. As he put his arm around Caterina again, she nestled up against his chest, resting her hand there as well. Her other hand rested lightly on his thigh. He carefully wove his long fingers in between hers and held her hand. She tilted her head up to look at his face and rewarded him with one of her beautiful smiles. He bent his own head down to kiss her sweet lips again. She sighed contentedly, snuggled in closer to him and stared into the fire as Severus rested his lips gently against the soft curls on top of her head. This was perfection. He thought of all the time they had spent in there together and now finally, this time, they were in there on much better terms - there was an understanding between them, one that had apparently been haunting them both for a long time. And it was an understanding of love.

As they sat there, snuggled in each other's arms, he was struck with the most amusing of thoughts. If anyone, anyone who knew Severus Snape, were to walk in on them at that moment, be they friend or foe, they would have to conclude the same thought at seeing him like this. They would quickly ascertain him to be on the receiving end of someone's Imperius Curse, which was forcing him to bewitch this beautiful creature into thinking she loved him, most likely through the use of Amortentia, the strongest of love potions.

Severus closed his eyes and sighed happily to himself. The knowledge that this was so far from the actual truth, sent deep and wondrous feelings unlike any other that surged through his body. This was real! This was what it finally felt like to know and feel the heat of love's flame in his very own heart. He relished in the sensation and enjoyed its warm glow. Those flames were never going to go out now.

They both enjoyed the silence of each other for a long while, each exploring the possibilities this new, budding relationship might bring to them, in their minds. Finally, Severus spoke his thoughts. He needed her to know several things and to fully understand them, before they were to continue on this new journey together. He had to be truthful with her- well, at least in part, as much as he was able.

"Caterina, this won't be an easy relationship, you know. I cannot spend nearly the amount of time with you that I would like. Not with the school, what I'm involved in and the problems it currently presents. I cannot even take you there for a visit. Maybe someday, but not for a long while. It would be too dangerous to expose you to anyone that could pass along information pertaining to me. I will not ever risk your safety and the less you know about everything, the safer you will always be."

"I understand that Severus. And actually, I even came to that same conclusion myself a long while ago. But we've managed pretty well as friends over the last few years, haven't we? Despite the long periods of not getting to see each other. Ok, well, the first year really kind of sucked, not seeing you at all. And, then there's last year - the time you decided you couldn't be my friend anymore for a few months... Oh forget it, yeah, that was definitely worse – until you came to your senses, but I think you get the point."

His eyes were quizzical but his face showed his wonder as he reached out and stroked his fingers through her long curls. Then he held her face fondly within his tender grasp again and shook his head.

"Caterina, sweet Caterina. How and why are you always so understanding and forgiving of my... my many terrible ways and my foul moods, I'll never know. I'm lucky to just have you as a friend. I probably should quit while I'm ahead and not risk anything more!"

Caterina pulled back away from his touch suddenly and looked contemplative. After a long minute, she stuck out her hand for him to shake, holding a deep, serious gleam in her eye.

"Well, maybe you're right. Ok, friends only it is then, still!"

"What?" he choked, pleadingly. "Please? No, I didn't really mean-"

But she stopped his words with a giggle that led right into a long, delicious kiss. It was stronger than the ones before it, brimming over with their long-harbored and unfulfilled passions for each other. Their lips and tongues searched out and captured each other's over and over, growing in urgency. Soft moans escaped from both of them, as their hands became entangled in each other's hair and their bodies sought a closeness like never before. When they slowly parted from the long, sensuous kiss, Caterina was straddling Severus' lap, with his arms gripped around her, squeezing her tightly against him, his hands tenderly caressing sweet, little sensations up and down her back. She rested her forehead against his, eyes closed, and gently placed her hands around his neck. They were both gasping heavily, trying to catch their breath.

As their breathing stilled and slowly returned to normal, they remained in each other's arms, sharing little kisses, while smiling and gazing into one another's eyes. Neither of them spoke for a long while. Now that they had reached this point, Severus was unsure of what to do next and it was getting somewhat late in the evening. Finally, he broke the silence again.

"I should probably go..." he started, extremely reluctant.

"Where?"

"Home, silly girl."

"Why?"

"I really don't know," he admitted slowly, stroking her cheeks gently, over and over, with his slightly rough fingertips.

"Then there's no reason to go, is there? I'm certainly not going to kick you out. Rather, it would be just the opposite. And as you said yourself earlier, we don't have all the time in the world to ourselves, just yet."

"Have I ever told you how smart you are?" Severus teased.

"Frankly, I don't know how much smartness has to do with it. It's due more to the fact that I'm completely selfish and far too lazy to possibly remove myself from your lap and your wonderfully strong arms, now that I'm finally here like this. So, you're stuck with me, for good," Caterina giggled, while running her fingers repeatedly through his long hair and with her fingernails gently massaging his head.

He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensations that filled him as her fingers continued to play around in his hair and across his head. He'd never guessed having Caterina's fingers running in his hair could be so pleasurable and sensual. Of course, then again no one had ever played with his hair for him to even know.

"That sounds highly acceptable." Severus grinned. "Like I said, you're a smart girl."

"Wasn't I a silly girl only a few moments before?" Caterina narrowed her eyes.

"I would never say such a thing."

"Oh, I think you did and you better make it up to me."

"That can and will be arranged. Right this very moment, in fact," Severus answered, his voice deep and velvety sounding.

"Then shut up and kis–"

For the first time in Severus' life, he had a new appreciation and complete understanding for some of his students and their inability to physically pry themselves from their respective love interests at times. He was now experiencing that same inability and could find within himself no reason to even half-heartedly attempt fighting it off.

Eventually, after many more long, passion-filled kisses, gentle caresses and tender touches, they found themselves lying on the couch together, wrapped in each other's arms; Caterina on top of him, with her head resting upon his shoulder and her fingers gently playing with the buttons of his shirt, and tracing tiny lines with her fingertips all over his chest. His own hands caressed the soft skin of her face and arms and delicately rubbed her shoulders and back. Severus watched her every move intently, completely enthralled and half in wonder at her, willingly there within his grasp at last. He was still trying to take it all in. She closed her eyes, smiling tranquilly, and let out a long, blissful-sounding sigh.

"Happy?" he asked, knowing full well what her answer was going to be, but wanting to hear it anyway, just to be sure.

She giggled sweetly, pushed herself up and placed her hands against his cheeks, "Ohhhh yes! Incredibly. You know, I've wanted to be in your arms for a long time but I never fully comprehended just how truly amazing it would actually feel until this moment."

"And how's that?"

"Totally safe, protected, warm, peaceful, happy, loved – do you need me to go on?"

"Absolutely, for as long as you'd like. We have all night, after all, so – " he said with a smug little smile and a shrug of his shoulders.

Caterina reached up with one finger and tapped it lightly against his lips in gentle rebuke. He squeezed her tightly in return, causing her to give a tiny shriek.

Severus bent his face close to hers, "It feels the same to me, having you in my arms, Caterina. This isn't something I'm at all used to, but now I know, I can't go on without you here as much as possible."

Caterina sighed. "I've got no problem with that, and to quote you, it _sounds highly acceptable_."

"Again, good to know."

He tilted her head forward to gently place a loving kiss upon her forehead. And as a reward for it, she snuggled in deeper against him.

Severus wrapped his arms tightly and securely around her, himself sighing quite intensely. "I knew _I_ would enjoy my surprise visit with you today, and I was certainly hoping _you _would enjoy it as well, but I _never_ foresaw it ending like this."

"Rephrase that please," Caterina said softly.

Severus appeared confused. "How do you mean?"

He lightly tilted her chin up again so he could look directly into her amazing blue eyes. They were twinkling up at him mischievously and full of excitement.

"Beginning, beginning like this, not ending like this..."

He gave a soft chuckle, nodding in total agreement as he pulled her up with his strong arms so that he could completely and thoroughly reach her mouth with his again. Severus was noticing that the strong feelings that surged through him the very first time his lips met hers earlier that day were building and growing at an amazingly fast pace. He'd never realized that was possible. That feelings could grow and change and become something entirely different in such a short time frame. Turning much stronger, more fervent, growing deeply passionate, completely absorbed, transfixed and absolutely profound in their ardent devotion to another being. And that beautiful, sweet being was now residing in his arms. Caterina, sweet and wonderful Caterina - and now, he could say with certainty, _his Caterina_. He knew he loved her but never to what depth it had reached and continued to reach. It had been well worth the time and effort to fix his mistake from the previous year of trying to leave her.

They parted slowly, their lips still lingering on each other's and their eyes just locked, holding the deep gaze between them. A few stray curls soon threatened to overstep their bounds onto Severus' face so he sweetly tucked them back behind her ear. She smiled and once again rested her head on his shoulder.

"Severus?"

"Yes, my sweet Caterina?"

Caterina grinned broadly at that for a moment. "I really don't want to ask, but I guess I should be prepared. When do you actually have to leave – to go back?"

"I have to be back on the thirtieth, in the evening, late evening," he answered, wishing he could risk more time with her, especially now, but knowing better.

Caterina pushed herself up with her hands against his solid chest to look him directly in the eyes. There was an unexpected wave of hesitancy in her face.

"You promise... promise – you'll come back, right?" she whispered in a pleading tone and he could see fear passing through her eyes.

His heart ached as he knew full well that it was his very own fault she was questioning him like this again. He fiercely cupped her face between his hands, "Yes, Caterina. I promise you, you will never have to question that of me again. I will always, always come back to you. Without a doubt, nothing will ever keep us apart anymore. Least of all, not me and my stupid, ludicrous ways ever again. I promise you, I'll be here for as long as you want."

"So you're all mine now?" Caterina whispered.

"I could expect and hope for nothing better- yes, I'm all yours, if you'll have me. Because, without a doubt in my mind, I know I want to be with you, Caterina, more than anything else in the world."

He gently pulled her face down to meet his again and kissed her with all the passion he could put into it. When they slowly pulled away, he again whispered, "I promise I'll come back, as soon as possible and as often as possible."

She studied his face intently and softly said, "I believe you, Severus."

With that, she curled up against his warm chest again and they held each other's gaze for a long while, until Caterina's bright blue eyes began to fade and close. It was now very late and he thought she should get some sleep.

"Caterina, my sweet, I promise I am not going anywhere. I'm staying right here, holding you. Go to sleep." Severus kissed her forehead once more and then her lips, "Peaceful dreams, my sweet... my love."

"Mmmm...kay, Severus."

Caterina's soft hand reached up and worked its way in between his shirt buttons and up just under the collar to rest against the warm skin of his neck and collar bone. Her fingers slowly traced back and forth across his skin. He inhaled deeply at the wondrous feelings that her warm touch brought him. Severus held her snug and possessively in his arms as she shifted herself against him slightly and seemed to be relaxing into a peaceful sleep. How he had longed to hold her like this, lying safely cradled in his arms! And here she finally was at last. Who would have believed it?

Severus watched the sleeping beauty lying on top of him for quite awhile. He was completely relaxed and at peace himself, for once, and he couldn't help but be in awe now, at how this extraordinary day had unfolded itself. He stroked her cheek and ran his fingers through her long, curly tresses. Being able to finally voice his long hidden feelings to her was like taking a long, deep breath of refreshingly clean air. And for once, he found it came almost natural to utter such words, words he never would have dreamt to come from his own mouth to anyone. He found he could say some of them to her quite easily. Something else that he was also becoming very aware of – he realized just how much he enjoyed the way her gorgeous, warm body felt pressed so close to his, and was excitedly anticipating the possibilities the future might hold for them. He inhaled her glorious scent, letting it fill him contentedly, as he was experiencing a level of real, honest happiness within himself, one he'd never been remotely close to ever before in his life.

He reflected back on all that had passed between them in the last two and a half years. He'd almost ruined this moment from ever happening because of his sheer stubbornness and unwillingness to take a chance that his life could ever hold something so wonderfully unbelievable for him. Silently, he blessed his mother. If she could have had any idea what giving that locket to Caterina would bring between the two of them, would she have been happy? Yes, he was sure that she would have been happy for her son in finding this, just as much as she would have been for having turned his life back around. Just before allowing himself to drift off, he summoned the blanket that lay upon another chair to unfold and wrap itself snugly around the two of them.

Early the next morning, they were both awakened at the same time by a sudden noise, there in the office with them. All at once, from the backside of the couch, Jamison stood, hovering over the cuddling couple. Caterina made to sit up, but before she could, he threw his hands up in the air and spoke.

"NO! Don't get up on _my _account, I'm just heading out. But I wanted to say, it's about bloody, fucking time, you two! _For all our sakes_! Thought I'd have to force the two of you together myself and soon, if you both didn't get yourselves figured out properly, so thank you! The way the two of you have been dancing around this, ugh... it's been ridiculously painful to watch! Ahh… _Finally!"_

And with a hearty laugh, he turned and exited. Caterina let out a small snort, pushing against Severus' chest to sit up now, as he himself chuckled, slowly releasing the grip he'd had on his wand, hidden under the blanket. Had that been anyone other than Jamison, he mused...

Then he quickly turned his full attention back to the beautiful being now staring down upon him with somewhat sleepy but very happy and radiant looking eyes. Severus reached up and brushed his hand lovingly across her cheek, tucking a few stray curls behind her ear. Her smile was completely golden, as she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply at his warm touch.

"Good morning, my sweet Caterina. Did you sleep well?" he asked as he gently trailed his long fingers up into her hair and then, slowly, down along her back.

"Of course I did. Amazingly well, in fact," she responded, sighing most contentedly at his touch again while giving a little stretch against him and letting out an amused chuckle. "So... ummm... how long exactly do you think it would take the school to notice if I held you hostage here and... ahhh... kept you hidden all to myself?"

"Hmm... hard to say, though that certainly sounds like a promising position to find oneself in."

And she leaned down closer to him, so their hungry mouths could eagerly continue the discussion they'd so blissfully started the previous day, as he firmly locked his arms around her lovely body, pulling her tightly against his.

* * *

A/N: Ahhhhh... at last! I think Jamison speaks for us all, wouldn't you agree? :D Now this is the longest chapter yet, and what better way to spend it, than with a bunch of kissing and cuddling! WooHoo! Go Severus for being brave! :D

So what did you think of this snog-filled, happy chapter? :)


	24. Tender Affections Ease the Afflictions

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to all of you who have so sweetly favorited this story and/or put it on alert for updates! I hope everyone continues to enjoy following after the adventures of Caterina and Severus!

* * *

**Chapter 24**

**Tender Affections Ease the Afflictions**

The next few days utterly flew by, much to Caterina and Severus' dismay. They did however, spend almost every waking and non-waking moment together. Severus, still half in disbelief that Caterina was actually his, fully dreaded leaving her and returning to Hogwarts more than ever after the holidays. Caterina found herself reveling in a new sort of happiness in life, on a level that she'd never quite reached before.

They spent their last few hours before his departure, Caterina in his lap with arms wrapped tightly around one another. Severus had not wanted to do so, but he did inform her that sometime within the next few months they were probably going to witness a surge in activity from the group he'd once followed, making life all the more difficult. She handled the news better than he had anticipated and she implored him to keep himself safe at all costs. He promised to return to her as often as possible, even if it would just be for short visits.

He watched her in awe as she absentmindedly fiddled with the locket hanging around her lovely neck while staring out the window. Caterina was sporting a deliciously low cut chocolate sweater and his now favorite tight muggle jeans. After a few minutes, she felt the heat of his gaze and turned to smile at him. She found a rather odd expression upon his face, hovering somewhere between wonder and puzzlement.

Caterina brushed the back of her free hand under his chin and up his cheek. "What are you thinking about, Severus?"

Severus reached up his hand, clasped it around her hand holding the locket and squeezed it lightly against her chest. His black eyes were burning brightly in a way she'd never seen before. He exhaled a deep breath and pulled her closer to him.

"I'm still trying to decide if you and all of this are really and truly real or not," he whispered richly.

"You think I'm just a dream?" she mused as she chuckled and shook her head at him.

"A highly pleasing one that I never want to wake from, mind you."

"Oh Severus…," Caterina softly whispered.

Caterina untangled her hand from his and lifted it lightly to rest against the smooth warm skin, just above the swell of her left breast. "Do you feel that? That's my heartbeat and I assure you it's very much real. And it always speeds up when I'm with you, so I'm positive you're real as well."

He leaned into her, resting his forehead against hers and ever so gently caressed the silky soft skin of her chest and neck. She reached up, tucked a strand of his black hair back and pulled his mouth to hers, issuing a long, passionate kiss between them.

"Yes, you do feel real. _Very real_," he said, his voice deep and velvety, and sending tingling chills of excitement down her spine.

"Very real and very much _yours_, Severus," Caterina assured him, pulling him into a deep kiss.

Severus somehow managed to visit Caterina at least two or three times a month once he returned to Hogwarts. They were, however, usually short visits consisting of only a few hours, here and there. They both greatly treasured their time together. Though Severus said very little, she could tell he was becoming more alert and tense as the months passed by, due to the growing threat he'd informed her of over the holidays. She tried not to ask many questions as he was very protective as to what and how he spoke about the problems with her, but she couldn't help being intensely curious at times over it all. Caterina understood that he did not want her to worry in any way about the whole situation but there was just no way around it.

* * *

At the end of May, events at Hogwarts turned for the worst and Severus could not get away at all during June to see Caterina. He knew the rise of Voldemort was close at hand and also inevitable. And though he despised and hated the dangerous role he hoped he would be able to assume after it happened, it also brought him a strange sort of comfort. It was a comfort to know that once the Dark Lord returned, they were that much closer in finally getting to the day when he would be destroyed.

June plowed on and the end of it ushered in the tragic events that thus ended the Triwizard Tournament, leading to the rebirth of the Dark Lord. Severus felt the burning of the Dark Mark on his left arm when it must have happened but he did not join the rest of the ranks of the Death Eaters. Dumbledore and he had a plan that would be put into motion with great care.

Severus had also worked for months at completely concealing all his thoughts, feelings and memories of Caterina through the use of Occlumency. If his love for a muggle woman were to ever be found out by the wrong person, they could both be killed. The mere thought alone of any harm coming to Caterina pushed Severus to greatly strengthen his ability in using the rarely taught magical skill.

When Dumbledore asked him if he was ready at last to return as a so-called loyal follower to the Dark Lord's side, Severus did feel a twinge of fear. He would have considered himself completely foolish and over confident if he had not felt that. One wrong mistake could cost him everything and there was always a chance that he just might not return.

It was a terrible, yet highly successful return to Voldemort's side with Severus' supposed tale of his professed and undying allegiance throughout the years. Voldemort was greatly pleased with the close position he had attained with Dumbledore while he was gone. In the end, he even claimed it one of the greatest achievements of all the Death Eaters to date. The plan worked brilliantly and Severus was welcomed back in the fold with honor. And the Dark Lord's reward for Severus' loyal service was that he named him among his top innermost circle of those very few given the most knowledge and information about his plans in overthrowing and taking control of the Wizarding World. But, just like with all the other returned followers, Voldemort still felt the need to torture Severus mercilessly. It did not endure for nearly as long as some of the others tortures but it was ultimately painful and severely draining on him. His body and soul sorely ached after his ordeal.

Severus knew he needed to report back to Dumbledore, as he had been gone for several days but first he was going to stop at the only place he would find any real soothing comfort. That was of course, after he went on a wild string of random Apparitions to make sure he wasn't in any way being followed.

* * *

Caterina awoke suddenly, lying on her stomach, arms hugging around her pillow. As she opened her eyes, she could tell it was still sometime in the middle of the night as her room was almost pitch black with no hint of dawn coming in through the windows. There was a light, feathery sensation tickling the skin of her exposed back and it was growing stronger by the second. She felt a slight amount of pressure on her bed just as a pair of warm lips started moving along the back side of her bare left shoulder, slowly heading toward her neck.

Caterina knew whose lips they were and her heart thrilled. "Severus?"

"Yes love?"

"I do prefer to be fully awake for your kisses," Caterina said with a teasing pout.

Severus deeply inhaled her sweet, familiar scent. "My dear Caterina, what do you think I was attempting to do?"

In an instant, Caterina rolled herself around, sat up on her knees and found herself securely wrapped in Severus' strong, loving arms. She hugged him fiercely, while he continued planting delicate kisses all between her neck and shoulder. Her fingers ran affectionately through his smooth hair, to which he let out a deep, contented sigh. Then she drew his face to hers and they quickly captured each other's lips in an almost painfully eager force of passion. When they eventually parted, Caterina's lips were sore but she didn't mind in the least. He was back for the moment and it was the only thing that mattered.

Caterina breathed out heavily. "I missed you so much, Severus."

"And I, you."

Ever so briefly, she leaned away to flip on her nightstand light, desperately wanting to see the rich dark eyes and ruggedly handsome face of her love. Several seconds in the light were all it took for Caterina to size him up as he stood at the side of her bed. He looked extremely pale and completely exhausted, as if just recovering from a long, violent illness. Her heart skipped a beat as she was sure he had not been sick but rather he had been having to deal heavily with the return of the one he was secretly helping to oppose.

"Oh darling, what have you been through?" she asked as she rested her tenderly hands upon his chest.

"I look that bad, huh?" he smirked lightly as he caressed her cheek, trailing his long fingers down her neck and over her bare collarbone.

She shivered happily at his delightfully pleasing touch. But Caterina continually searched his ebony eyes with great concern. They were oddly dull and tired in their appearance, looking as if they'd recently been through a multitude of pain.

"Oh Severus–"

"Shhh... love," and his finger went to silence her lips. "I'm fine. Just tired, that's all. It's been a rough couple of days."

Caterina gently batted his hand away and quickly protested, "You don't really expect me to believe that, Severus? I know you better than you think. You are _not_ fine."

He smiled weakly, gripped her face and softly kissed her in response. She let him have his way for a long while, until he finally pulled away and buried his face into the mass of curls hanging around her right shoulder. Caterina heard him inhale deeply and felt him nuzzle gently down into her neck.

He brought his lips to her ear. "This is a lovely little top you're wearing. And those shorts are, well for lack of a better word, umm... short. Quite distracting, you know."

She felt a warm finger tracing the thin strap of her little cotton tank top and she briefly fought the urge to give in to his lips trailing along her jaw line. He was not going to get off the hook that easily, though.

"Oh no, don't you dare try and change the subject like that, mister," Caterina sternly answered. "I haven't seen you in over a month and here you suddenly show up in the middle of the night, looking like you've just been through hell."

Severus closed his eyes tight for a moment before pleading, "Caterina, please, let it go…."

"Severus, that's like asking me not to care about you. I understand you can't talk about a lot of things but, honestly, you better not even think for one tiny second that I'm going to blissful ignore what I can so blatantly see for myself," she retorted as she held his face between her hands. "I can't do that. If I didn't love you, maybe then I could, but that's not the case and never will be."

Severus rested his hands on her shoulders and stared deeply into her blazing blue eyes. "How did I ever get to be the luckiest man in the world, to have you and your love? I certainly don't deserve you by any means."

"Severus, don't you dare say that," she fired back at him.

He chuckled softly, shaking his head at her. "I can see I'm defeated. Yes, as predicted, some very bad and highly dangerous things have happened in the past few days. I was required to spend some time with the... the – "

"Evil?" interjected Caterina, eyes narrow with anger over his recent plight.

"Well, yes that word is well suited to describe them. However, it's over and done with for the moment and I'm soon due back to report to Dumbledore. I can't stay but I needed and wanted to see you, first. Maybe I should have waited until later to – "

"Absolutely not! I'm positively thrilled that you came now. I don't care when you show up but you absolutely need some sleep, darling. You're obviously exhausted."

"I won't argue with you on that," he smiled weakly again as his hand tousled a few of her long curls around her shoulder and his fingers worked their way down her back.

At that, she finally gave into his wondrous touch and playfully threw herself into his arms. Severus, though unprepared, caught her but was knocked off balance and fell over onto her bed, while holding her to him.

She giggled and managed to mutter an unconvincing '_sorry_' to him.

"No you're not," he chuckled, reaching to tickle her around the waist and causing her to shriek with laughter.

"Ok, so I'm not, but _you _are not going anywhere for awhile. You're staying right here with two conditions."

He could feel his aching body soaking up the extreme comfort of her bed and screaming out at him, begging for immediate rest. So much so that he couldn't even bring himself to argue with any reasons for not staying put. He forced himself to focus a little while longer on her and raised an eyebrow, waiting to hear her conditions.

"Yes my love?" Severus said with a small grin.

"You're going to stay and get some much needed rest and sleep before you rush back to report anything to anyone or you'll have my wrath to deal with." Caterina explained firmly.

Severus gave a halfway wicked grin and replied, "I kind of like the sound of that last part."

But he nodded his agreement and a small serene smile overtook his lips as Caterina rolled slightly, positioning herself above his chest. Severus reached up and gently placed his hand against the back of her head, pulling her down into another deep kiss. He only stopped when he fought for a bit of focus again, remembering he hadn't been told her second demand.

Severus held her cheeks and gently pushed her back so he could inquire it of her. "And?"

Caterina grinned wickedly up at him. "Lose the shirt."

He chuckled deeply as he felt her soft hands starting to undo his buttons of his black overcoat. With a great forced effort, he sat up and willingly obliged her, while kicking off his shoes as well. Once stripped of his coat and shirt, he felt her warm hands all but attacking his chest, quickly followed by her sweet lips. He grabbed her tightly by the waist and toppled backwards with her, into the pillows.

"Ahhh... yes, this is much better, my sweet."

Severus enjoyed the wonderful sensations of her hands and lips roaming all over his bare chest and shoulders as well as the feeling of her long curls lightly tickling over him. It was way too hard to ignore these fine pleasures than to finally give into the vital sleep his body so craved and required. So instead, he watched her through heavy eyelids while his own hands caressed her smooth shoulders and back. Finally, she paused her kisses and looked up at him, her concern again apparent on her face.

"Severus, go to sleep, love."

"I would but a certain someone is distracting me in the most alluring of ways," he offered, his voice thick with tiredness.

"Oh, well then I'll stop for now." Caterina snapped the light off and cuddled up tightly against his left side.

Severus retained enough clarity to kiss her forehead and her lips once more as he pulled her halfway onto himself. She snuggled into his neck, kissing it and working her way up to his mouth while she hitched her left leg up across his waist.

He rested a hand on her bare thigh, letting out a small, deep groan. "Uhhhh... there, that's perfect, my lovely Caterina."

When her lips reached his mouth, he kissed her quite roughly again until she pulled herself away despite her own wishes. Caterina tenderly ran her hand up across his cheek and stroked his forehead.

"Now sleep," she commanded. "I'll be here for more when you wake up."

He tightened his arm around her and gripped her thigh, as if to hold her there but she certainly wasn't going to be leaving him. Caterina watched as he instantly fell into a relaxed sleep. She herself tried to relax but her mind couldn't help wonder what sort of torment he must have recently endured. Though he usually skirted the few questions she dared to ask, she knew he tried to hide the fact that there was always some form of pain and punishment involved when he had to deal with the horridly evil faction. How long would this have to go on, she wondered to herself? When would he at last be free? Caterina lay watching his chest rise and fall in the dark for a long while before drifting back off to sleep herself.

She woke early in the morning as the sun's rays touched through her windows. The warm skin of Severus felt amazing against her own. What she wouldn't give to wake to such a glorious feeling every morning. Caterina carefully sat up beside Severus, trying her very best not to disturb him. She knew he'd not had near enough sleep for how exhausted he looked. As she surveyed him, it appeared as if he hadn't moved a muscle the entire time he'd been asleep. Ever so softly, she stroked her fingers up and down his bare chest. He didn't stir in the slightest.

It was the first time she'd seen Severus without a shirt and she quite enjoyed the sight of him without one. He was, of course, much taller than her and rather lean, but now she could see he had a nicely toned muscular build as well. There was only a light smattering of dark chest hair on him. When she slowly turned to her nightstand to check the clock, she noticed something on his left forearm. Very gently, Caterina raised it in her hands to inspect it. Letting out a muffled but audible gasp, she stared in shock at the terrifying image of a skull-like head with a snake coming out of its mouth tattooed there. It made her tremble briefly as she shivered with fearful chills.

For a long moment she wondered why he'd never mentioned having this, especially when she got her own tattoo last summer, but by its looks alone, she summarized that it wasn't befitting with Severus' tastes and that he probably didn't chose it simply for the aesthetics. Caterina would definitely ask him about it when he woke.

It wasn't until mid-afternoon that Severus finally began to rouse from his long needed sleep. She snuggled back down beside him and happily watched him as he struggled for a bit to take in his surroundings. Finally, he turned partly to face her and smiled in sweet recognition. He stretched out his hand to stroke her face but she was faster than he and met his lips instead.

"Good afternoon, handsome."

He smirked at that as he pulled her closer to himself and rolled onto his back once more. Caterina folded her hands to her shoulders and rested upon his chest, her face several inches from his. Severus traced his fingers delicately all over her face and let out a long complacent sigh.

"Feeling better now?" Caterina inquired.

"Yes, much better."

"And you wanted to rush off last night in such a state. It's a good thing one of us has some sense." She let out a small chuckle.

He narrowed his dark eyes at that and gave her bottom a curt swat. She responded by kissing the tip of his nose and giggling. Severus closed his eyes for a minute and Caterina observed a look of vexation crossing his face.

"I am going to have to leave soon, though," he said slowly, half irritated.

She touched his cheek and nodded, "I understand. I don't like it at all, but I understand."

Severus pulled her up closer, burying his face into her long tresses as he gripped her tightly to himself. She relished in the magnificent warmth of his shirtless embrace and once again thought wistfully on how she would love for this to become a daily routine between them. Caterina knew she'd have to be patient for the time being though. And then she remembered about his arm.

"Severus?" she started trepidatiously as she leaned back away to watch his face. "I was umm... wondering about, about your arm. Why didn't you ever tell me?"

His dark eyes shot to his left arm and then back to her gaze as he seemed to be pondering his words with great care before speaking.

"I'm sorry you saw that. It's something I'm not fond of in any way because of its reminders. And it holds no meaning - nothing like your sweet little tattoo, I assure you."

He reached down with his fingers and caressed her right hip tenderly for a long while before saying more.

Then, looking down at his arm with the greatest of disgust, he spoke, "This- this is actually a branding of sorts, not a tattoo, Caterina."

"Oh," was all she could manage as several hideous thoughts and images swirled around in her head over his honest disclosure and she shivered again. "I think I understand then."

He simply nodded his head and leaned up to swiftly kiss her once more, trying to dispel the rampant memories of horrid days from long past that threatened to pour into his mind. And it worked. Being with her was always like that for him, very soothing and comforting. Caterina brought him feelings he'd never experienced with anyone else or anywhere else in his life.

Severus held her firmly against him, caressing her smooth skin and kissing her for a long while. He hated to leave her more than anything but he knew he must return to Dumbledore with his information and about the success of his mission. And there were several days left in the term, not that he cared about that, though, at the moment.

A little while later, as he was buttoning up his shirt, he noticed a rather small but violent red mark upon the top of his chest. He touched a finger to it. It was not at all painful and so he stood perplexed while trying to figure out what possible spell could have left such a mark when he heard Caterina snicker softly beside him. His eyes flashed to hers as she presented him with one of her most convincing angelic looks. Realization of what that mark was hit him and in one fell swoop he picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and slid her arms around his neck, while looking very satisfied with herself.

"I also prefer to be fully awake for your kisses as well, you know," he said in an almost dangerous, yet soft, manner as his lip curled at the corner and his black glinting eyes narrowed at her.

"I just couldn't help myself," she pleaded in mock innocence while batting her lashes. "And you were asleep for so long, you didn't want me to get bored, now did you? Just think of it as a temporary reminder to hurry back to me, before it wears off."

Severus gave a low growl and then he roughly plunged his own mouth to her neck as she squealed most delightedly. He had to stop himself before he lost complete control, as time was slipping fast away.

"Oh I'll hurry back, have no doubt, my sweet Caterina." Severus growled. "Nothing can keep me from you."

After several more rough and wildly passionate kisses, they made their way downstairs to the front door. He was soon gone but he left her with the promise and the imminent threat to be back soon to return the highly favorable mark.

* * *

A/N: Hmmm... things seem to be heating up a little more, and in the bedroom, no less! Oh-la-la! :D


	25. Healing

**Chapter 25**

**Healing**

Severus returned a few days later, at the beginning of July, and made good on his promise but that was about all he had time for. Caterina could tell he was in an extremely angry mood but that none of it was directed at her by any means. She knew where the anger stemmed from, she didn't have to ask. And she didn't need to be told that this summer would not be anything reminiscent of last summer. Last summer, they seemed to have all the time together in the world, but were completely unsure of what to do with it all. Now they knew what they wanted to do but they had no real meaningful time together.

Or at least she was almost positive that Severus wanted her in _that _way. He never spoke as much directly, but his actions certainly were loud enough. Yet, when she thought about how long it had taken him to finally let down his guard and kiss her for the first time, granted even then he was completely unsure of her acceptance of him, but he'd let go of his staunch reserve at last. While she knew they wouldn't want to rush into it and have to be hasty about it at all, there was no denying it: there was a undeniable growing sexual tension between them and it was continually building.

She laughed to herself as she remembered once thinking him to be most prudish in nature and old fashioned a bit in his manner. Caterina suddenly slapped a hand to her mouth and pondered that thought though. It had taken him forever to get over himself, let down his guard and kiss her - was he also the type that felt certain thresholds shouldn't be crossed until properly aligned, as in marriage? Oh dear Lord, she fervently hoped that was not the case! Not that marriage to him was out of the question by any means, she just knew it was something possibly far off on the horizon still, with this whole warlike seeming dilemma he was facing with Mr. Dumbledore and who knew how many others that were involved.

It appeared like her own future with Severus was now irrevocably tied to this whole horrid affair. Caterina determined she would have to be strong for him. She may resent what was going on and what he had to deal with, but never _him_ as it was not his fault. He was loyal to his commitment in destroying this group and stopping their reign forever. And she knew enough not to begrudge his reasons for staying so closely involved. It would not do well for either of their sanity if she started blubbering on about their growing lack of time together, as well as their unfulfilled physical intimacy. She could hold out for the perfect timing, right? But just how long would it be, she wondered?

* * *

Severus sat at the table, a sharp finger pressing between the vexed look of his heavily knit brow, while waiting most impatiently. When would they all shut their mouths and get on with the damn meeting? He despised these large Order meetings now held at Grimmauld Place with a fervent passion and especially tonight, listening to all the buzz about Harry's arrival there just moments before. The boy was safely stowed away now. He just wanted to give his report and take his leave. After a ridiculously long and tedious hour, they had finished and he could be on his way.

He fought through the middle of all the Order members to make his exit, and this time, no one tried to talk him into staying for dinner. That was out of the question. There were a few within the Order that he could tolerate but he never mingled in the large group whenever it was possible. Besides, if he hurried, he had a little more than three hours to spare before his meeting with Dumbledore later. It wasn't much, but he was going spend it with Caterina. He stepped out onto the stoop of the Black house, smiled appreciatively at the dark evening sky and Apparated directly to the front door of Clarkstone Mansion.

He let himself in after casting a subtle spell to find Caterina. And oddly enough, she was in the ballet studio. That greatly excited him and he rapidly made his way to the studio. After taking a quick peek in the door's window and spying her spinning around the room, he swiftly opened the door and made his presence known. Caterina beamed joyously at him and twirled right into his arms.

"Severus darling!" she squealed as he captured her in a tight embrace and quickly took possession of her mouth.

When they parted, she pulled back lightly and gazed serenely up at him. She caught a quizzical look upon his face. "What is it, Severus?"

"I don't have much time, I'm meeting with Dumbledore in a few hours but, well, I'd really enjoy watching you dance some more," he explained solemnly.

Caterina smiled beautifully up at him. "I think that can be arranged, just for you, love."

Quite mesmerized by her graceful elegance, Severus sat and watched her and never wanted to stop.

The next few months flew by, in spite of the fact that they rarely had any quality time together. Between Dumbledore and Voldemort, all of his assorted spying tasks for both, as well as teaching, Severus truly began to realize just how much he needed and depended on his time spent with Caterina, little though it may be. Her love for him seemed so accepting and unquestioning of almost everything. He battled with telling her the whole truth at times. Something kept holding him back, though. There were times he could see many questions that she wanted to ask of him upon her eyes, but she held them in behind her sweet lips.

Severus even still found himself struggling at times to accept the fact that Caterina loved him like she did. He felt so undeserving of such a fervent devotion and unwavering love from anyone, yet slowly, he was learning to grasp onto it and appreciate it for what it was.

December soon returned and, with it, the holidays. They had been together a year now and while it had been bittersweet almost over the lack of time they shared to themselves, Severus was realizing he wouldn't trade their few seemingly stolen moments together for anything else in the world. Caterina and Severus were able to spend all of Christmas Day together, along with Jamison, who hovered about as usual. Caterina made a large mental note to avidly start searching for a woman for him.

* * *

Severus was growing concerned as it was mid-February and it had been six whole days now with no letters from Caterina. He usually received something every other day and sometimes every day from her. An anxious feeling threatened to overtake him but he shoved it aside for the time being. Maybe she was just busy? Or maybe the owls had become utterly undependable. He'd taken great steps to ensure that none of his mail was to be inspected by that foul Umbridge. With his own keen skills and magical knowledge of the Dark Arts being as such, he would know if there had been any tampering, despite whatever strong concealment spells might have been used to try and hide the fact.

Severus paced about in his office later that evening before dinner, when a disheveled looking owl swooped in and dropped a long official looking envelope onto his desk. He stared at it questioningly for a moment and realized it bore the Clarkstone & Company logo on it. Snatching it up as his heart skipped a beat, he tore it open and hurriedly devoured the information it contained. By the end, his hands were shaking. He dropped to his desk chair and reread it again, this time slower.

_"Severus,_

_I hope this letter quickly finds you as Cat once mentioned that you had your mail forwarded to school during the year. I had no idea of the school's address or contact info or of any other means of getting in touch with you, so I hope this works._

_Caterina is in a private hospital in London with an acute case of what they are saying is Necrotizing Pneumonia. She's had pneumonia a few times before - usually in the winter months. It started happening right after the damage to her lung during the kidnapping. She's done so well the past few years with no bouts whatsoever, that this really took us by surprise. This time it's caused a large build-up of fluid within her lung and she's quite sick. I don't want to alarm you but it's honestly never been this serious before and, while the doctors are promising that she'll pull through just fine in time, I wanted to let you know as soon as possible. I don't know if your schedule will allow for you to get away for even a quick visit, though I hope it does. Seeing you would really do her some good at the moment. I've included all the hospital info below._

_Jamison"_

He was completely horror stricken. Severus would go to her at once and surely there would be some way he could help her to recover quickly. His mind automatically started running through different potions, comparing which ones would have the gentlest side-effects and the most lasting, healing properties for her. He checked the time. It was not quite yet six o'clock in the evening. His schedule could most definitely be rearranged for tomorrow as it was Sunday and his duties shifted between a few of the other teachers. With that thought, he flew off to the headmaster's office.

Severus didn't even offer the courtesy of knocking at the door first, but rather just barged on in. Dumbledore stood at once, surveying the painful and panicked look on his Potions Master's face. Even in the worst of conditions, this was a look hardly seen on his usually guarded visage. Anger, malice, hate and many others had all been seen before - but panic? No. Hardly ever.

Severus thrust a folded paper across the desk at him and announced, "I must go, _immediately_."

Dumbledore opened the paper and quickly read its contents.

"Oh dear, yes, I would agree wholeheartedly. I will see to re-delegating your duties for tomorrow and settling your House for the night."

Severus nodded, his expression unchanged. "Thank you, Albus."

The headmaster gave him a warm smile. Severus only used his given name when he was absolutely most genuine in his manner and actions. And though Severus had never once mentioned or come close to confirming anything between him and Caterina, Dumbledore knew the signs well enough to read between the lines. His hunch was very strongly leaning toward it being more than a simple friendship and, for that, he was glad for Severus. It was high time his irascible and acerbic friend started to learn how to love and use his heart.

"If at all possible, see that you are back by your first class on Monday morning. We don't want to have to dodge too many unwanted questions from Ms. Umbridge, who would be most interested in any more absences in the staff."

"Understood, sir."

Severus collected the letter, quickly turned and strode for the door.

"Oh and one more thing, Severus. I see no reason why you can't help her out how ever you best see fit. You are, after all, one of the best skilled Potions Masters to come along in years, and I know you could whip up any number of healing and restorative potions for her. Just use extreme care in not being seen."

"I've already looked into the matter," Severus answered impatiently.

"Knowing you, I figured as much." Dumbledore grinned. "Good luck and give her my utmost regards in returning to full health."

Severus quickly consulted several healing potions manuals and then made a final decision on which potions to take. Thankfully they were already made and awaiting use in the infirmary's store room. He'd regularly prepared many potions himself for Madam Pomfrey's use on students when the need arose. After stopping in his quarters to collect a few belongings, he hurried on to collect the potions. Figuring out the proper doses for her smaller frame and how to get her to take them would be matters he'd deal with once in her presence.

* * *

By seven o'clock he was entering the London hospital. Severus retained a basic working knowledge of how muggle hospitals worked from events with his father in his childhood. He quickly searched out the visitor's desk and inquired of the bushy haired and heavily painted worker about Caterina amid all the bustle and hustle of others. The woman searched for the information, quickly retrieved it and picked up the phone to make a call.

"Ahh... yes, Mr. Lahey? There's another visitor for Ms. Clarkstone and I was calling to get approval to send him up? Hang on."

The woman leaned forward toward Severus and spoke, "What's your name, hon?"

Severus flinched and bristled at being called 'hon' but swiftly answered her.

"Oh, you heard him? Right, I'll direct him up," and she hung up the phone with an amused chuckle. "Well, you're certainly luckier than the last fellow who wanted to see Ms. Clarkstone. Mr. Lahey wouldn't consent."

Severus hesitated a moment but the curiosity suddenly burned too much within him not to ask, as he pulled a phrase from out of a far distant memory. "Tall, outgoing and friendly black man?"

"Yes! That's the one - and heavens, let me tell you, he was quite the charmer - total ladies' man and a dream to boot! Very handsome fellow, though he was quite put out at not getting up to see her. I say, if I were sick, I wouldn't mind a visit from hi–"

"Where do I go?" he snarled, not wanting to hear another word more.

She jumped at his sharpness and immediately appeared flustered over her babbling. The woman quickly jotted down some info and handed it to him along with a small visitor's badge. Then she directed him to the elevators and he was off.

When the doors opened, he took a right, then a left and immediately saw Jamison, standing outside a doorway, apparently waiting for him.

Jamison headed toward him, hand outstretched for a quick shake. "Thank heavens you could make it, Severus. You're just the thing she needs at the moment. She's actually partially sedated still but she should be coming around very soon."

Jamison paused and looked somewhat pained over this, causing Severus to inquire about the need for the sedation.

"Well, she woke in a bit of a fit this morning. I'm not entirely sure but I think a blasted nightmare might have prompted it. But she started ripping out her IV needles and attempted to pull out her breathing tube... It was most painful for her, as well as to watch," he finished with a deep sigh, wiping his hands across his face in a tired manner.

Severus cringed internally at remembering the medical ways that muggles had of using needles and knives to fix many problems. He would see to it that his Caterina befell no more of those harsh, barbaric measures, even if he had to openly curse half of the hospital staff to stop them.

Jamison sighed loudly and, looking wearily again, stated, "She will most definitely need you tomorrow afternoon, if she doesn't show some sort of marked improvement by then."

"Why is that?" Severus raised his eyebrows, waiting to hear the reason.

"They're planning on doing a throacentesis to drain out some of the fluid that's built up in her lung."

Already, Severus did not like the sound of this procedure. "And how- how exactly is that done?"

"Well, basically they insert a long hollow needle into her back that goes all the way into the lungs so the fluid can drain out. She had to have it done once before, about seven years ago now. It's pretty painful as you can imagine and one has to hold their breath, while remaining completely still for the needle to be inserted so it doesn't puncture the lung on the way in. As awful as it sounds, it greatly helped the last time, though. She knows it's a possibility again but I haven't been able to bring myself to tell her it could be tomorrow. Cat knows it's getting closer, she's been in here for a week now with no real change."

Severus' black eyes widened in raging anger now. There wasn't a chance in hell that they would do that to her again. He simply would not allow it. The sooner he got to her with a few potions, the sooner she would be healing and out of this horrid place.

"Come on, we'll go see if she's started to wake at all, yet." Jamison offered Severus a weak smile.

Severus followed Jamison back down the hall and into a surprisingly comfortable looking room. He guessed this was one of the benefits of having money and being at a private hospital. As his eyes quickly searched around, he saw flowers everywhere and in the center of the room, on the large hospital bed, there lay his love.

Her eyes were closed and there were several lines leading into her arms and on one hand that were attached to several assorted machines. She also had what looked like a clear straw shoved up her nose - that must be the breathing tube that Jamison had mentioned. Caterina's long curls were pulled back and now divided into two braided plaits, hanging down behind her head. She was pale white and her hair as such, with her small body curled on the large bed, she appeared to be so much younger then she actually was, yet very fragile looking. His heart ached for her and he felt a certain fear creeping in that he hadn't felt in a long while.

There was a short, plump nurse checking a few of the machines. When she saw them entering the room, she smiled warmly and bustled over to Jamison.

"She's coming around, her eyes are closed but I'm quite sure she's mostly awake now," said the nurse in a very hushed whisper.

Severus stepped up beside Caterina and glanced at Jamison who nodded to him but hung back by the doorway to talk with the nurse. Severus gently leaned over her and ran a long finger down the side of her cheek, then he lifted her hand that was free of the needles and lovingly kissed the back of it. A slow awareness crept onto her pale face as her eyes fluttered several times before opening. He felt a tiny weak squeeze from her hand, as she fully turned her head to view him. A small tear slipped out of her left eye, but before it went far, he tenderly wiped it away.

"Severus," she whispered in a raspy voice.

"I'm here." Severus leaned into to brush his lips to hers. "I'm here, my love."

"Mhhhh..." she smiled as her whole face lit up.

She made a slight motion at the side of the bed and he carefully sat on the edge, trying not to bump or jostle her. But what he really wanted was for her to be in his arms. It didn't look possible though with all those nasty needles and things they had sticking in her and on her.

"How are you feeling, love?" he softly inquired.

"Ok. It's really mostly only painful if I move around too much or cough," she said in a weak voice.

The nurse interjected herself for a moment, "I'm going to give you about half an hour to fully come around and then I'll be back with something for you to eat, sweetheart."

Caterina simply nodded, expressing a small disinterested frown on her face.

"Come on Cat, something's got to tempt you. You've hardly eaten in the past three days," reprimanded Jamison lightly, while raising a concerned brow toward Severus.

Severus realized that would be the perfect way to slip her several potions. He pondered which combinations would be best to start with while Caterina started to become more awake and talkative now with him there. That seemed to help Jamison relax finally. He handed Caterina several cards that had arrived for her and pointed out who'd sent a few more of the flowers. Severus sat quietly, just watching and observing her.

Caterina's eyes glanced from one floral bunch to another, before settling on a huge, tall and prominent assortment of wildly brilliant tropical flowers. "Who are those monstrous flowers from?"

"I've kinda lost track of some of them," Jamison said while reaching for the card tucked into its side and handing it to Cat. "I'm going to grab a bite to eat myself and leave you two alone. Severus, maybe you can coax her into eating something better than I can."

Cat smiled weakly at Jamison as he left and then started to open the card. Severus watched her as her eyes grew furious and a bit of color actually flashed into her cheeks for a brief moment.

"What is it, love?" he inquired, ready to hurt the person responsible for upsetting her.

"Oh he's horrid! How did he find out?" she hissed in between a few painful coughs, as she crumpled the little card. "Did he come? I don't want to see him."

Severus reached over and laid his hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her while his other hand carefully pried the note from her fingers to read.

_"I hope this isn't a result of someone's 'extremely good care' of you. Could it be the start of some bad chemistry? If it is, you know where to find me. Get better soon, Pretty Girl! King"_

As quickly as the note had been un-crumpled, it returned to that state and landed smartly in the trash can. He may not have fully grasped the entire meaning of the note, but he was very capable of reading between the lines. Severus would deal with the flowers later. Caterina came first. Severus leaned forward and kissed her sweet lips.

"Never mind him," he whispered to her while trying to hide the raging force of anger within himself for Caterina's sake.

But instantly, Severus knew what he would do if he ever crossed paths with this ridiculous ass who went by the ignorantly assuming nickname of King. And how blind was the stupid, infernal man? Caterina was, by far, so much more than just pretty. He'd simply Obliviate the dumb muggle of all his memories of Caterina and then he could never bother her again. How dare he upset Caterina like this!

Severus' plotting was interrupted by the return of the plump nurse, carrying a tray of food for Caterina. He swiftly stood and reached out to take it from her. She smiled warmly at him and gave Caterina a wink.

"Please dear, try and eat a little of something here and it would certainly do you well to get more fluids into your system. Doctor Steelman will also be around one more time tonight to check on you."

Much to Severus' delight, the nurse proceeded to question Caterina about how she was feeling and to check a few of the machines, while then engaging her in small talk. He guardedly and discreetly added several potions to a variety of items on the tray. If he could get her to consume even just half of what was there, it would be a fabulous start at helping her to quickly recover. The nurse finished up, noted a few items on her chart and gave a gentle reminder to please eat or drink something substantial.

With a bit of sheer seductiveness on his part, along with quite a few well-placed kisses, he soon got her to finish most all of the liquids along with the chocolate pudding. And in less than an hour, Severus noticed a marked change on her face and especially upon her eyes. They were becoming brighter.

He was just about to tell her so, when there was a knock at the door and in stepped a tall, blond man, sporting a long white jacket over his clothes. Severus concluded that he must be the doctor and was surprised at how young looking he was to have his precious Caterina entrusted to his care.

With a nod to Severus, he stepped over to Caterina and began questioning her, while pulling out an instrument of some sort that he hung around his neck. Before Severus realized it, the doctor had her sitting up fully while he undid the back of her gown. Then Severus watched in total indignation as the doctor pulled at her top, stuck the instrument in his ears and put the other end of it down inside her front. Caterina drew a sharp, sudden breath at this and Severus wildly ran through a list of violently strong curses, seeking to grasp his wand from his pocket.

The doctor pulled back after a long, tense moment. "Sorry about that Cat, I know it can be cold sometimes."

"Whatever. I swear you purposefully hold your hands and instruments in a freezer before every time you come in here," she shot at him darkly.

He snickered and said, "You know what they say, cold hands, warm heart."

"Yeah, well I don't know about that," Caterina muttered.

The doctor then moved to her back and proceeded to repeat the process over again. Severus moved closer, eyes wide and glowering all the while at the man with his hand poised near his wand, ready for action if necessary. He didn't like the thought of anyone touching his Caterina, doctor or not.

"Hmmm... well that's a good sign," the doctor mused.

"What is?" asked Caterina.

"Things sounded a little clearer and cleaner inside when you took those deep breaths for me." He eyed her thoughtfully and went on, "And you didn't break out into an awful coughing fit when doing so."

Caterina looked thoughtful. "No, I guess I didn't. My breathing does feel easier, come to think of it."

"Well if this keeps clearing through the morning, I might consider taking out your breathing tube tomorrow. And for the time being, we can remove this one IV needle. The meds are in you, we just have to give them some time to work."

Severus finally relaxed and smiled a most satisfied smile to himself over her turn in the right direction. Right then Jamison returned and was given the good news by the doctor. After the doctor left, Jamison, stating that Caterina was in Severus' hands now, shuffled off to get some sleep on one of the plush waiting room couches down the hall.

Caterina soon found herself happily contented as she snuggled up and rested her head against Severus' shoulder as he sat back, beside her on the bed. He once again coaxed her into drinking more potion-spiked juice. She wove in and out of peaceful sleep through the night and steadily continued to improve by morning. Severus had seen to banishing the tropical flowers at some point during the night, knowing she wouldn't miss them.

The doctor kept to his word and had the breathing tube removed as well as another needle in her arm. He was quite amazed at her sudden and seemingly miraculous improvement. Jamison hovered in and out throughout the day but mostly Caterina and Severus were left alone, with just the occasional nurse stopping in to check her progress.

It proved extremely difficult for Severus to leave her on Sunday evening, though. In the end, he pushed the limits, staying through the night with her once more, continuing to make sure she improved. He left at sunrise, allowing just enough time to return to Hogwarts for a shower and a quick energizing potion for himself so he wouldn't completely lose all patience during his classes that day.

Caterina spent two more days in the hospital, as she rapidly returned to health. And once she was finally returned home, the most beautiful bouquet of crimson red roses arrived with a note saying that Severus would soon be following.

* * *

A/N: Poor Cat, getting so sick! But I think Severus probably got it all taken care of and fixed for his sweet love. Now, raise your hand if you want to see King get put in his proper place for that rude note! :}

Severus watching her practice ballet at the beginning = _So She Dances _by Josh Groban. ;)


	26. Need to Be With You

**Chapter 26**

**Need to Be With You**

A wild scream split the air and, with it, Caterina's heartbeat surged almost tenfold in its pace.

"Oh damn! Yes! Harder, oh wow, oh wow! Ahhh... That feels _soooo_ good!"

"You like that? Aww... bloody hell, you're pretty damn amazing yourself! You want more, don't you?"

"Mhhhh... Yes... No! Nooo! Don't stop! Yes, I want more! Give it to me!"

"Turn around and grab hold of the headboard! I'm gonna really let you have it!"

Caterina was in total shock. Her mind was now racing into places she didn't want to be, but the wild screaming had brought her there and, for a moment, she was transfixed by it all.

Another earsplitting scream rent the silence. Then there was the sound of repeated banging and thumping against the wall, mingled with several loud impassioned moans and low grunts.

Caterina suddenly fathomed what was happening, collecting her thoughts. She needed to escape and so she ran for it, not stopping until she collapsed into complete hysterics on her own bed. That was something she never wanted to experience again for as long as she lived. It was almost nasty and bordered on being quite incredulous. She felt slightly dirty over it all and didn't know if she could look him in the eye again for a long while.

What the hell had Jamison been thinking? Cat snorted and broke out into another rash of uncontrollable laughing fits, wondering if maybe she should suggest better sound proofing for his rooms. But she'd certainly learned her lesson - no more going to investigate any screams she heard coming down the hall on her way from the studio. Jamison had only known her for about a month, but he was apparently losing no time in 'breaking' in his new secretary. Cat supposed she should be happy for him but she had a funny little gut feeling that told her this gal wasn't really interested in anything long-term or commitment-based. She seriously hoped she was wrong about that because she honestly wanted Jamison to find someone to happily settle down with. He'd always put work first, as well as Caterina and rarely dated that much. Time would tell. And it might make the idea she had growing in the back of her mind work out a lot easier if he did.

* * *

March slipped into April as Caterina began an exhausting new project all of her own. It was an idea that would have scared her senseless just a few years ago to even possibly conceive in the tiniest fashion but now it seemed to have become something of an obvious and natural transition for her in life. She kept it secret from both Severus and Jamison for several long weeks, while she explored endless options, before settling upon one that she absolutely fell completely in love with.

It felt completely right and without any hesitation, misgivings or second thoughts, she bought it on the spot. Now, who to talk to first – Severus or Jamison? In the end, she decided it would have to be Jamison because he would very easily find out by other means if she didn't tell him right away and also since she didn't know exactly when to next expect her love to show up next.

She approached Jamison that evening as he was reviewing some company paperwork in the library.

"Jamison, I need to talk to you," she started, feeling suddenly very nervous.

He pushed the files to the side on the desk and swiveled to face her as she dropped into the closest leather armchair opposite him. It was amazing the way he treated her - as if she were his very own daughter. And in a sense she was just as good as, with the close bond they'd developed over the years of turmoil that the family had faced. That was going to make this a little harder to pull off, but she still felt it was the right thing to do. She paused, while thinking back over it all.

Jamison, who searched her face, while becoming anxious over the odd look he found there, quickly inquired, "Is everything ok, Cat?"

"Yes. Well, I've been doing some very long, serious thinking about something."

A strange wave of relief seemed to flood over Jamison now.

"Oh? Now there's a surprise," he smirked at her.

"I bought a house."

"What?" Jamison gaped in shock.

"I know. There was a time I would have told anyone that nothing would ever make me move out of the mansion and I'd never really thought about living anywhere else until a few months ago. But now, it just seems like the right step to make, to get out on my own and open a new chapter in my life, so to speak."

She wasn't sure if she'd come anywhere near close to explaining herself clearly to him but he appeared to understand. He stood up and came around the desk to sit by her.

"Honestly, I'm shocked over this but I think I understand and I think it will be a good step for you, a big step but a good one. This place is so huge and truthfully there are just as many bad memories tied to it as there are the good ones. What does Severus think? And am I to assume that he would be moving in with you?"

Caterina blushed at that and shyly spoke, "Well, yes he's more than welcome to but I haven't had a chance to talk with him yet about this."

"That school certainly does seem to keep him tied down and unavailable, doesn't it?"

"More than you could possibly ever know," Caterina murmured.

They spent several long hours into the night talking of Caterina's decision and she told him all about the place she had found and fallen in love with. It was about an hour away and situated rather close the coast, sitting inland about half a mile from a deeply sheltered bay area and on several acres of property. It was a beautifully designed old-fashioned stone cottage, in appearance, but had actually only recently been built. Being called a cottage, it still boasted a rather large and spacious floorplan downstairs with four large bedrooms upstairs. Cat's favorite part about the whole place was the seemingly natural looking gardens that surrounded the place. As a whole, it looked like a place right out of a tranquil painting.

Caterina spent the next two weeks in a whirl of shopping sprees with a decorator. She had never been one to entirely burn money but, for this, she pulled out all the stops. And, for once, she enjoyed the fact that money could be used to even speed up the process of getting everything ready in record time.

Finally, near the end of April, Severus was with her again for the evening and she told him of her decision to move. She was almost surprised at how agreeable he appeared over the matter and assured her several times that the further distance would in no way impede his visits with her. They enjoyed some alone time on the couch and then she remembered that she had wanted to show him pictures of the cottage. He quite unwillingly let her leave his lap to retrieve them.

Caterina turned her back and walked over to the desk to collect the pictures just as Jamison entered and handed a beer to Severus. She rummaged through her rather thick folder of documents for them, while half listening to the small talk between the two men. Suddenly, her ears perked up and she bent over closer to the desk, letting her curls swing forward to hide her face.

"You know, the way Cat approached me about this whole new house thing, I thought for sure that she was actually about to tell me that she was pregnant!" Jamison chuckled, taking a large swig from his beer and clapping Severus hard on the shoulder. "Not that I'd have a problem with that by any means. Mind you, well, it's just, I guess it would make me feel pretty old and sort of grandpa-ish in a way."

Cat's heart clambered to a halt. Somehow she managed to chance the smallest of glimpses up through her lashes and hair at Severus' wide-eyed face. She'd never seen such a look on him before and she had no idea what to make of it. All she knew was that she must get out of the office and fast. There was not enough air in there for her lungs to continue working.

"I- I must have left them in the other folder in my room," she managed to sputter, trying to sound half normal and as if she'd never heard Jamison's remark.

Oh, she was absolutely, positively going to murder Jamison if Severus hadn't already done so with the look plastered all over his face. She softly closed the door to her room and dropped to the floor just behind it, softly gasping for air as thoughts flew wildly in her pounding head.

She... he... they... hadn't gotten near that far in their physical relationship. Of course, now that Jamison was getting some at the moment, he must assume that everyone is. He certainly had no reason to believe otherwise. And while Cat tried in every way not to worry about it, she had to admit to herself it was extremely frustrating. She couldn't ponder it at the moment though, because if she did, it would bring a deluge of hot tears and she would never make it back to the office without giving herself away. After trying her best to mentally fortify her mind and contain her many burning, unanswered questions as to why, she got herself collected enough to retrieve the pictures and proceed back to the office.

Entering with a delightful smile masking her upset, she cheerfully announced, "Here they are. I finally found them in among the other paperwork."

Jamison went on and on about the place while Severus just half smiled and nodded his approval. Finally, Jamison retired for the night, leaving them alone in the cozy office. Caterina knew not to get her hopes up for anything to happen, though, as Severus had already mentioned he needed to leave by eleven. Another late meeting with Mr. Dumbledore, he'd said. She just snuggled up on his lap, rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

Within seconds, she felt his warm lips softly pressing against the skin of her neck. After leaving a long, tender trail of kisses from her shoulder up to her lips, he stopped and inhaled deeply. Then he grasped her face and tilted her head to face him. She caught a strange burning desire upon his eyes.

"You know, after all this time, I still don't know what utterly intoxicating scent it is that you wear, but rest assured that it has never slipped by my notice. It changes - ever so slightly, yet, at times. Whatever this is you're wearing at the moment is my favorite."

Caterina sat in his lap almost mesmerized by the black burning pools of his eyes. She took a second to think through what he'd just said before answering with a seductive laugh.

"It's actually one scent that comes in five different variations and there's a reason you find it so intoxicating, love."

"Oh, and why's that?" Severus cocked his head to the side.

"Because it's Poison," she whispered bewitchingly into his ear.

Breathing in again, Severus grinned. "I'll say it most certainly is."

She suddenly slipped off his lap, stood and pulled his hand in a beckoning manner. He raised a quizzical brow but followed her without a word into her bedroom. She flipped on a light and led him to stand in front of her large, mirrored bureau, where there sat five identical bottles but each in a different color scheme. The bottle shapes were strikingly reminiscent of the forbidden fruit and each was labeled as some type of enticing Poison. Caterina watched as he carefully lifted each, smelling it and gently sitting it back on the little silver tray. When done, his hand came back to rest on the red bottle with a smoky black topper.

He pulled Caterina close and stood just behind her, watching her in the mirror as he quite lustfully whispered into her ear, "It's this one, Hypnotic Poison?"

She swallowed hard and nodded at him through the mirror, half-entranced again at the look deep within his black eyes and the view of them together. Without notice, he spun her around and lifted her into his arms, striding over to the bed. Severus laid her down on her back and crawled over top of her, placing one large hand gently on her stomach, while supporting himself with the other. His ebony eyes burned into her vivid turquoise ones for a long moment before plunging to her mouth. Caterina grabbed handfuls of his hair and moaned through the lustful kiss like never before and sought to wrap her legs around him. He slowly moved his hand up along her front until it rested between her breasts. Ever so softly she felt his fingers begin to explore her supple breasts through the fabric of her shirt. Her nipples quickly stood alert as she couldn't help but gasp and arch her back up off the bed while she squeezed her legs tighter around him in an effort to draw him even closer than he already was. And then she felt just how much he wanted her as his arousal pressed firmly into her hip. Severus groaned in a way she'd never heard him express before, as he slowly pulled out of the kiss to gaze at her.

He swallowed hard himself now, speaking low and almost huskily, "I do want you Caterina, love, make no mistake on that. But I will not have it rushed between us, with me needing to leave you after. Do you understand?"

She did not trust her voice. Therefore she only nodded in response while caressing his cheek. Then she pulled his mouth back to hers, while silently urging his hand to continue exploring. He happily obliged her while starting to lightly squeeze and rub her firm beauties. After a bit, she broke away from his lips to give way to a breathless panting. Severus watched her in wonder, amazed at how much she was enjoying his touch. Caterina fought to partly reclaim her mind through the fog of lustfulness for what she wanted to ask him.

"Severus?" she started, almost breathless. "Would you like to move into the cottage with me?"

He paused his movements for a moment and stared unbelievably at her for a long minute.

"You really want...?" he questioned as she nodded vigorously.

"Yes, I do, more than anything." She traced her fingertips along his brow.

Severus smiled. "I'd like that. I'd like that very much."

* * *

To Severus the news that Caterina would be moving couldn't have come at a better time. He'd recently been summoned by Voldemort and informed that he wanted to present Severus with the gift of a servant for the summer – Wormtail. Severus knew it would do no good to protest this so-called and worthless gift. And he acknowledged to himself how much harder it would be to see Caterina over the summer months because of it. He would have to very carefully check and recheck all of his protection spells around the mansion and now add them to the cottage as well as destroy any evidence – no matter how minute - that she had ever been in his home. But that wouldn't be enough, he felt; he'd have to warn her without scaring her entirely. And he didn't have much time.

Caterina awoke to the feeling of a strong, warm hand stroking along and making its way up her leg to her thigh.

"One of these days, Severus..." she sighed.

"What?" he asked innocently, his hot breath tickling her ear.

"Just be thankful that I'm not the type of woman to sleep with a bat under my pillow." Caterina snickered.

"That would not be very nice." Severus kissed her shoulder.

"No it would not."

"Caterina, I'm here about a very serious matter," Severus began. "I need you to promise me that you'll do _exactly_ as I say."

She felt him lower himself onto the bed completely and take her into his inviting arms. "Anything you ask, Severus."

"I'm about to receive some very unwanted and unwelcomed company at my house on Spinner's End. _Dangerous_ company. It is against my own wishes but I dare not protest for the time being."

He felt her tense a bit in his arms before he continued. "I can't dare let them find out about you. You are my greatest and most guarded secret and you need to remain that way, especially from them, at all costs."

Very softly, she whispered, "Meaning?"

"Meaning as soon as possible would be a very good time for you to move into the cottage and avoid coming anywhere near my place or even the town, until I tell you otherwise," he firmly explained.

"Ok, but –" and a finger came to hush her lips.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me at all. My position is still in very good favor and is likely to remain that way through to the end of this mess." Severus sighed, knowing the terrible reason behind his good favor. "I will not risk exposing you though, over any minor issue such as this. This isn't to scare you, my love, but to keep you protected as best I can."

Caterina shivered but nodded her head. "I understand, Severus."

He squeezed her body most fiercely to his own and whispered into her ear, "Believe me, I promise you, I will make this all up to you as soon as possible."

"I'm going to hold you to that, Severus Snape."

The next few months went by in a blur. Caterina loved absolutely everything about living in the seaside cottage except for the fact that Severus was not with her. There were times she barely saw him but once a month. When Christmas rolled around again, his visit was much shorter. Though he hardly ever spoke about what turmoil he was facing, she could see it was taking a toll on him. How she prayed fervently that this mess would be over soon so that they could explore life together because, above all else, she had to believe that he was going to survive it.

After Christmas, she didn't see him again until mid-March, but this time, during their long absence apart, he actually sent her several letters. As much as their arrival surprised Caterina, if it hadn't been for those, she thought she might have gone completely mad without his presence in some small way. She constantly found herself fingering the locket around her neck and twirling the delicate gold bracelet he'd given her for her birthday. It had a tiny oval charm on it with an S engraved on both sides. And once Severus had fastened it around her wrist, it never came off.

Severus made two short visits in April and one at the beginning of May. He gently informed her that she most likely would not see him again until sometime in June, once term was over. She was dealing well with that idea until Jamison showed up a few days later with some horrific news of his own – that Caterina's life had been threatened and she was in serious danger. Would life ever be dull and happily boring for her? Now she had the worry of Severus and of her own problem, weighing down on her, though Jamison was fast in working to keep her protected and safe.

* * *

The night winds of early June swept through Severus' hair as he stood, braced and wand pointing straight out ahead of him. His mind was open, listening carefully.

_"Severus, you must do this, you promised me."_

_"Yes, I know."_

_"Do not grieve, my friend, as I have no regrets. You have all the instructions that you now need to end this war. All but one final task, that is, and that I will issue to you now."_

_"What is that?"_

_"Go to her, as soon as you are able. You will need her love to sooth your soul over this matter. Nothing else will see you through it but her."_

Severus masked the surprise from his face but not from his eyes. Of course, he should have known better as he watched that tiny twinkle appear in Dumbledore's blue eyes for the final time.

_"I told you I had a hunch about her. I'm glad to see you took my advice. I wish you both well. Now finish your job here."_

_"Goodbye, Albus."_

Out loud, he spoke those two most unforgivable words, "Avada Kedavra."

And Dumbledore fell from the tower, dead.

* * *

Caterina lay under the shade of a giant spreading Holme oak tree that was situated a few hundred yards from the back of the stone cottage. Its full branches dipped down low toward the ground all around it, forming a natural sort of protective and hidden hideaway. It had quickly become a favorite place for her to escape to, with a book in tow. Though with her recent unsettling news, she didn't read as much as wonder in extreme distraction over a variety of subjects. Only two more days until it could become a strong reality.

At the sound of an obnoxious screeching that pierced through the sky as if it were almost on top of her, she woke with a start and suddenly sat up. Darkness had fallen all around her. She felt a certain pounding fear within it, as she had not meant to have fallen asleep outside like this. Cat felt around for her book, extracted her blanket from off the ground, and swiftly headed back into the cottage for the night. The feeling of dread and fear were heavy upon her shoulders.

Though she didn't mean for it to keep happening, she repeated the same process over again each night of suddenly awakening under the tree she never meant to fall asleep hidden by. On the third night, it wasn't a sound that woke her but a touch. Caterina screamed wildly with all her might until a hand grabbed her by the waist and pulled her up to face the culprit.

"Caterina, it's me, Severus. You're fine, I didn't mean to scare you," he said gripping her cheeks between his hands.

"Ohhhhh... Severus," was all she could manage as she clung to him, tears streaming down her cheeks from her wild fright.

He sat down under the tree and pulled her to himself while she calmed down. He held her close but she could tell by his very manner and without seeing him clearly that something was seriously wrong. She waited a few more minutes until her breathing returned to normal and her heartbeat to its proper pace.

"Severus, love? What is it? What's wrong?" Caterina asked, her heart beginning to race all over again.

Tilting his head back against the tree bark, he closed his sorrow-filled eyes. Severus took several deep breaths while rubbing his knotted brow.

"It's– it's, well... Dumbledore. He's dead."

This time Caterina's heart didn't race. It stopped. "Severus! Oh, Severus!" she gasped. "I-I don't even know what to say. I'm so sorry. Was it... was it _them?_"

"Yes," came his hissed reply.

But his mind shouted and screamed to tell her that he alone had done the deed. It didn't matter that it had been requested and required of him and that his own life depended upon following through with it. He wanted to scream at her to leave him and never to think of him again. That he was a murderer, a dark creature and that he should be punished for his crimes by losing her. He wanted to scream those things. His mouth refused him speech, though, just as his arms refused to remove themselves from around her sweet body and out of his lap. He had no strength and couldn't fight the draw that she held over him. It was stronger than an magic he knew, sweeter than honey and more divine than an angel.

She shouldn't be with him. Caterina deserved better, so much better and so much more. More than he could ever possibly hope to give her. He'd known that from the very beginning. He could not bring himself to let her go for he was a self-serving and selfish creature after all. So in silence he sat, holding her, yet fearing for it to end at any moment. The moment she figured out the truth about him.

"Severus?" Caterina whispered.

"Hmm?" he replied absently.

"Let's go inside now."

He helped her up and almost blindly followed her. Severus wondered if she would be able to see the truth on his face once in the light of the cottage. She led him to the couch, sat down and patted the spot beside herself. He had a hard time looking her in the eyes but he sat any way. Caterina then surprised him by pulling him down and resting his head against her chest. He shouldn't give into the comfort she wanted to give but, again, he was unable to resist. Dumbledore was right, like he most always was. Just being in her presence was soothing to him and his broken soul. He closed his eyes as he felt her fingers beginning to wave their way through his hair and stroke his face. She was so loving toward him that it almost hurt. Her sweet kiss to his forehead was the last thing he was aware of until the following morning.

It proved to be a very tense day for Caterina. Severus barely spoke and seemed utterly lost. There were times he even appeared irritated by her gentle reassuring touch. He ate little during meals and soon acted quite hellbent on staying alone. She would grant him that for the time being as she knew it best to leave him be for a while to deal with his grief. Caterina could so easily tell that Severus was hurting over what had happened to Dumbledore. Hurting but not dealing with it. She knew and understood for she had been in that place several times herself. And she wasn't sure how to best help him as he seemed to be shutting even her out.

Early in the afternoon she observed him standing down by her favorite tree, the one she kept falling asleep under. He was just staring out at the ocean in the distance. Caterina debated with herself and finally decided to go out to him. If he wanted to talk, she'd listen but she wouldn't pressure him. She had to do something; he'd been there so many times for her. Carefully, she watched him as she approached, but for once, he didn't appear to hear her coming.

"Hey there handsome," she called softly.

Severus looked around for a moment like he was expecting there to be someone else she was addressing other than him. Then he forced a weak smile and slowly held out his hand to her. She took it and soon wrapped herself snugly around him. He inhaled deeply and gently rested his arm around her back. Well, that was a start, she thought. They stood that way for a long while. Caterina knew he still wasn't going to talk so she figured it best that she left him alone again for now.

"Severus? Severus?" she spoke his name while tenderly stroking his arm.

Making no response to her, she knew he was deeply lost in his own troubled thoughts again. She nudged his arm.

"Hmm?" he finally managed, breaking his gaze from the ocean and trying to focus on her.

"Severus, I'll leave you to your thoughts. If you need me, I'll be inside. Dinner will be ready whenever you are."

Caterina stretched up on her toes to tenderly kiss his lips. He seemed oddly unfazed by that and automatically dropped his hand from her. Caterina slowly made her way back to the cottage, pausing here and there to turn and check on him. How he was able to stand there so unmoving and like a statue, she was amazed.

A new worry hit her. A worry that was brought on by her own words. They began to echo and continually shout themselves within her head.

"_If you need me..."_

What if? What if that was it? What if, after all this time, everything had become too much for him, and he didn't or couldn't bring himself to need her anymore? Was this whole warlike issue pulling him in so deep now that he wanted and needed to be free from all ties, including her? She fought it but couldn't stop it and a horridly distraught sob pounded out of her chest with a force that she felt might have shattered her in two. Another fought its way to follow the first. Caterina resisted with all her might to stop it. It remained lodged there, unmovable and unyielding. How? How could she cope with this on top of everything else going on? With what she hadn't even been able to tell Severus yet?

Suddenly she realized that she couldn't tell him. If he needed to be free of her, she would not give him any reason that might make him feel obligated to stay with her. Caterina grabbed the kitchen countertop to keep her legs from buckling out from under her. She grasped at the locket around her neck as tears seared down her cheeks. Would he want it back, she wondered? It had been his mother's after all. She turned around and glimpsed the violent red paper tacked to the little memo board. Oh God! What if he came even tonight?

She walked over to it, drawn by the very thought of what the paper contained. Without thinking, she banged her head against the wall in extreme anger and frustration.

_"Pull yourself together Caterina!" _she screamed to herself inside her head.

Panicking was the last thing she needed to do. Maybe the stress of everything was playing games in her mind. Could it really come down to Severus leaving her? No! She was being crazy, overreacting from all the recent pressures. He just needed time. She would have to force herself to be patient with him. With one more quick bang of her head against the kitchen wall, she hoped it would knock some sense into her. Caterina chuckled over her own silliness and then set about to prepare a romantic little dinner for the two of them. It surely wouldn't hurt, right?

Dusk was overtaking outside when Severus started to make his way back to the cottage. Caterina had just put the finishing touches on dinner and even lit a few candles around the room. Again, Severus appeared unfazed by his surroundings. She had to force herself to remain calm no matter what. They soon sat down at the table. Severus took a long hard look at her and then around at the food, the table and the room, as if he was seeing everything for the very first time.

And without warning, he suddenly stood. "I'm sorry, I-I can't stay."

"What do you mean you can't stay?" Caterina asked in shock.

"I can't. I just can't."

Her heart began to race. "When will you come back?"

"I-I don't know," he fumbled over the words.

But in his mind, he shouted '_never' _and hurriedly strode up the stairs to retrieve his belongings. Caterina was about to let that wild sob out when there came a startlingly loud bang at the front door.

* * *

A/N: WOW! I know this chapter was chock full of assorted events and happenings, starting and ending with a bang! The tensions are certainly building, huh? Poor Cat - what is she going to do? And who could that possibly be at the door? Will Severus really leave her or will he pull his act together?

The five scents of Poison are by Christian Dior, just in case anyone is interested - Poison (the original), Tendre Poison, Hypnotic Poison, Midnight Poison, and Pure Poison. Check'em out sometime and pick your favorite Poison to tempt the Potions Master!


	27. I Can Barely Breathe

**Chapter 27**

**I Can Barely Breathe**

_"Not the hell now!"_ screamed Caterina to herself. But ever so slowly, with a crushed heart that was barely beating, she managed to make it to the door. What she opened it to find, was the final blow to destroy it. Surely now, her heart was damaged beyond all repair.

"Detective Wertz? What can I do for you?" she pushed out weakly.

"I'm truly sorry about this, Ms. Clarkstone, but can we come in? We need to discuss some things."

She gazed past him and saw what looked to be about a dozen officers. That sight alone jump-started her heart but sent it into a panicked race. Her chest was in no way ready for the shock of it restarting and she felt dizzy and sick.

"All of you?"

"Oh. No ma'am. Sorry, just me, Biggs and Hutchinson here."

She sighed heavily, nodded and fought to continue breathing. This did not bode well. Not one tiny bit.

"Erickson, you take charge. The rest of you, cover all the main perimeter points. I don't want anything missed or overlooked."

Oh dear God! Had it come to that, she thought in a sudden panic, clapping a shaky hand over her mouth and closing her eyes. With great effort, she forced the terrible urge to be sick back down her throat.

"Ms. Clarkstone, have you heard from Jamison yet, tonight?"

"No? Why? What's wrong with him?" she frantically inquired.

"I assure you he's quite safe," the officer continued. "It's you who is our only concern. He, I believe, has spent the day in court trying to force through several more appeals over the matter."

Narrowed her eyes, she let out a heavy sigh. "Well, out with it. I'm not daft, you know. I know this isn't a local neighborhood safety checkup."

Detective Wertz gave loud sigh, "I'm sorry to say that we've lost him."

"What?" Caterina's legs gave way as one of the other officers rushed forward to grab her, gently helping her onto the couch.

"How the hell... it's only been a day? You said... you said your men would be tailing him..." her voice broke off in fear.

Detective Wertz held a look of extreme discomfort on his face mixed with sadness and he glanced at the other two officers before speaking. "We did, but he figured it out all too quickly and – well, he attacked one of my men. We lost him while the other officer waited for the medical help to reach them. It was close but it looks like our guy will make it, thank goodness."

Caterina slipped forward onto the floor, shaking, as tears spilled forth. Someone else had been injured because they were trying to protect her. This had to stop. It had to stop now. It was madness, complete and total madness. Caterina felt very close to snapping over it all.

"Ms. Clarkstone, while we still have no reason to believe that he knows where you are yet, we've come to take you to a safe house until– until he's been recaptured. Those are Jamison's direct orders for you."

It finally snapped. Caterina suddenly became eerily calm. She stood up and walked into the kitchen. Opening a cupboard door, she took down a glass and half-filled it from the sink.

Caterina took a sip and raised her eyes to meet the officer once more. "Let me get this straight. You want to take me away and basically hide me somewhere until you catch the beast. And I'm sure you have no idea how long that might take since you have no idea where he is now."

Officer Wertz looked uncomfortable. "No, I'm sorry to say, we can't guess as to the time frame of his capture. Jamison is working on pulling all the strings, though, in several departments to get me more men on this."

"Yeah, sounds like what he would do," she snorted.

It was amazing what money could buy and couldn't buy. Ironic, really, that it could be used to gather more protection, but not to stop the beast's release in the first place.

"How much time do you think it will take you to pack a bag, say for at least a week?"

"Excuse me?" she asked with a curt laugh.

"We need to get you away, as soon as possible, tonight."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Caterina snorted. "You seem to be under the impression that I'm going to actually come along?"

Just then there was the sound of footfalls on the steps and, as Severus reached the bottom, the detective and two officers swiftly drew their guns, aiming in his direction. For the third time that night, Caterina banged her head, this time against the high countertop. Severus froze, unsure of what was going on and looking highly alarmed. His black eyes fixed on Caterina.

"Oh you fucking idiots! That's not him! Do you really think he'd be hiding in my house already? He's a... a friend." she shrieked.

Each of the men quickly holstered their weapons again while the detective rapidly apologized to Severus. He didn't appear to be listening as he kept locked eyes on Caterina, his hand raised oddly to his chest. She couldn't look at him. Again, she put her hand to her mouth and closed her eyes, heaving in extreme anger. It was beginning to bubble dangerously near the surface.

"About that packing, Ms. Clarkstone, best you get to it. And about your friend here – "

"Oh, he was just leaving," she retorted rather viciously.

It all cracked and fell to pieces in her mind now, as she unleashed a side that rarely ever came out but under crushing duress.

"And like hell I'm going with you anywhere," she screamed.

And the glass she'd been holding suddenly flew through the air and smashed into the hallway mirror, between Severus and one of the officers. Glass shattered and spewed forth onto the floor. They all stared at her in disbelief. Even Severus, as he'd never seen her so worked up and angry. She turned and snatched the red paper from the memo board, crumpled it into a tight ball and threw it right at the detective's head.

"I refuse! I absolutely refuse to do this anymore. Fuck Jamison's orders and fuck the whole damn lot of you! You can all clear out of my house, now!"

"Now Caterina, calm down and let's be reasonable, if he finds you– ," said the detective.

She repeatedly pounded her little fists down hard on the countertop.

"I'm tired of this! Every time I fucking turn around, something completely shitty and fucked up happens! I'm done! Completely and entirely done with it all! There's the door, gentlemen, show yourselves to it. And that includes you, too," she spat out with a fiercely angry look at Severus.

"Caterina, he said he was going to kill you," the detective went on, emphasizing each word and now rather angry with her. "Do you understand that?"

"Yes! Hell yes! I understand exactly what it means! And I know exactly what kind of things he's capable of if you remember! I spent the worst three hellish days of my life with that bastard and I have the scars to prove it! And I don't bloody care anymore; I'm not leaving and going anywhere. If he finds me and kills me, so fucking be it. Maybe I'll finally get some damn peace from it all! I'm tired and I'm done."

She wildly shoved past Severus and the officer, heading toward the stairs but she stopped and turned at the first step.

"There's the door. I will not ask again. Get. Out. Now. All of you," she finished in a deadly whisper before mounting the steps and slamming her bedroom door so hard that two hallway pictures fell and shattered in the wake of it.

Severus wasn't entirely sure as to what had just transpired but his mind was rapidly working and piecing together the details from what he'd just heard. His blood was starting to boil. Severus turned and looked at the detective who, just like him, made no move to actually leave as she'd ordered.

"Explain," he demanded in an emphatically sharp tone.

The detective sighed, stooped over to retrieve the balled up red paper on the floor and handed it to Severus who unfolded it in a flash. He wasn't sure why he felt so inclined to tell this stranger anything, but he started before he could stop himself.

"You do know about her being kidnapped, right?" officer Wertz asked.

Severus nodded before being able to glance at the paper.

"Well the men were both sentenced to fifteen years. One died of a heart attack while in prison a few years back but the one who– the one who, well, carved her up, just got released a little early after twelve years, for decent behavior and primarily due on overcrowding issues."

Severus was starting to see only white hot flames at the detective's words. They were pushing everything else out of his mind, and instilling him with a rage of such magnitude that he'd never experienced anything like it before. Some beast had threatened Caterina's life. Some beast who had dared to lay hands on her once before. Everything that he'd been keeping bottled up about his mercy killing of Dumbledore didn't seem to even matter in the least bit anymore. That was past now. Gone forever as there was nothing to be done to ever change it. And he willingly let it all go, to move on now. Caterina was far, far more important. He should have realized that from the moment he'd arrived there, instead of acting like a ridiculous fool for the past day.

Severus was about to read the note but the detective started talking again.

"We're not exactly sure how he managed to mail that out but it arrived at the Clarkstone and Company office about three weeks ago. Jamison, of course, immediately invoked a slew of lawyers to keep him behind bars but, well, I'm not gonna lie to you - sometimes the courts just don't work as fast as they should on the more serious stuff. And therefore he was released, two days ago."

Detective Wertz then proceeded to relay how they were having him followed and just what all ensued, leading up to them losing him. Severus was rather disgusted at the muggles' incompetence at attempting to keep his Caterina safe. They were obviously very sloppy but he refrained from making a scene over it while holding up a hand to pause the man so he could finally read the accursed note. It was sloppily written on what appeared to be a hand-dyed red paper. Severus easily determined that it was not blood, though.

_"Caterina, I'm sure you remember me well. I hope I haunt you even still after all these years because you have haunted me. I will be released soon. Expect me, as we have much unfinished business. I plan to make you pay, and quite painfully too, for having survived that fire. Get ready. My carving skills have become quite sharpened and superior. You will beg for me to have mercy and to kill you quickly, but I assure you that you will first experience every kind of pain I've dreamed of inflicting upon you over the years, before I release you to death. Prison leaves too much time for the mind to plot a quick death. I am coming for you."_

The detective and officers jumped as the lights of the house flickered several times. Severus could not control his rabid and savage anger and it was showing itself. The air was charged with wandless energy, emanating out from every cell of his body.

Severus folded the paper and pocketed it while looking at the three men, "Well, now you heard her, she is not going to be going with you, so best you leave now."

Detective Wertz stumbled over his words at first. "But- I - Jamison - she... she's not safe alone."

"Oh, _trust me_, she will not be left alone nor will _any_ harm befall her, regardless of your failed efforts to protect her. You can inform Mr. Lahey that _I _will more than see to her safety. Now, good evening to you all."

There was something in Severus' dark eyes that made the detective drop the matter without further argument. He pulled a card from his pocket, handed it to Severus and motioned for the two officers to exit.

"If anything happens at all, call me and do not take it upon yourself to apprehend him. He is ruthlessly violent. A few of my men will make random patrols throughout the night. And I'm sure Jamison will discuss this arrangement with her by morning." Detective Wertz politely nodded toward Severus and followed the others out the door.

Severus could barely contain himself any longer and was relieved that the men left before he'd needed to resort to using his wand. His control was gone. Standing in the hallway for several long minutes, he ran through a number of possible options and plans as to what to do about this beast. Then it dawned upon him that Caterina was upstairs in her room, probably in a fit.

With several silent flicks of his wand, he added several more protective spells and alerting charms around the cottage and its property. Not a soul would get near the cottage. Then he cleared away all of the broken glass from both hallways, as well as cleaning up and disposing of the uneaten dinner.

Now, to see to his Caterina. He closed his eyes for a moment to steady himself for whatever state he might find her in. Severus knew he must remain absolutely calm for her. With mastered silence, he mounted the stairs and opened the door, entered and softly closed it again. Searching the dark room, his eyes fell to her sitting in the window seat, head on the glass, staring out at the night and hugging her knees to herself. She did not appear to be crying, he noted, though she did not acknowledge his presence. Severus strode over to her and made to lay his hands on her shoulders but she flinched away. He felt stung. She had never before spurned at his touch like that.

"Why are you still here?" she whispered in a disheartened tone.

"Because– "

"You don't need to stay for this, I'll be fine. I'll go back to Jamison tomorrow. You have your own problems to deal with and you don't need mine mixed in with them."

"No. You come first." Severus' tone was firm and direct.

"Severus, I don't want you here if you don't want to be here. It's ok. I'm used to your leaving," she whispered.

He felt greatly stung again by that remark as he'd never meant for her to get used to that. "No. I'm not leaving."

Caterina moved closer toward the window. "I don't want you hurt because of me."

"No one is going to hurt me and certainly not you," he reassured her.

"You - you said you couldn't stay. Don't stay just because of this, now."

Her voice finally broke. He could hear her breathing become erratic. She must be fighting it all back. Severus didn't care if she punched him or fought him; he was going to fix this. He quickly slipped his arms under her, lifted her up and stepped back to sit on the bedside, adjusting her to his lap. Caterina had been holding herself so tense, that she was shaking. With a hand holding her cheek, he tenderly kissed her lips, drawing forth a little sob from them.

His lips moved to her ear as he held her head to his and spoke with rich fervor, "Forgive me, my love. I was being selfish and stubborn in my actions earlier. Before I even reached the top step, I knew I wasn't going to leave you. There is nowhere else I want to be, than with you, Caterina."

Finally, she appeared disarmed as she completely relaxed into his embrace. He was afraid he was hurting her as he just couldn't hold her tight enough to himself. She was shaking almost and as he touched her face, he felt the tears that had now been released. Severus made fast work to kiss them all away. Gradually, they stopped flowing and she calmed, yet he continued to caress her face with his hands and lips. A thought came to him as he stretched back across the bed, bringing her with him.

"This is the reason why you screamed like you did when I touched you last night under the tree," Severus said quietly.

Caterina nodded. "Yes. I hadn't meant to fall asleep there."

Severus tilted her chin up. "You should have told me right away."

"Severus, you were…," she started but didn't finish.

"I know I was upset by Dumbledore but you are more important to me." Severus held her tighter. "Most important to me."

"Mmm…." A smile slowly worked it's way across her lips.

It wasn't long before he felt her completely relaxing against his chest. She had to be exhausted with all the emotions she'd been through, just in that evening alone. Caterina didn't seem to stay relaxed for long though. She kept fidgeting and rolling every few moments, this way and that. Gripping his hands around her waist and back to still her, he asked her what was wrong.

"I can't get comfortable against your damn buttons– "

"Say no more, my love."

Severus quickly removed his shirt, tossed it to the floor and kicked off his shoes, before lying back down on the bed the proper way. When she crawled over to him, he'd found that she'd removed her little blouse to reveal a little tight, black tank top underneath. Eagerly, he pulled her onto his chest, excited to feel her silky, warm skin against his own. Soon Caterina settled into sleep but, many times throughout the night, she still became restless as if having bad dreams. Each time it happened, he soothed her with his kisses and gentle caress. Finally, just before dawn, she dropped into a peaceful and relaxed state and he joined her, rather weary himself.

They were awakened all too early by the shrill sound of the telephone ringing next to the bed. Severus thought it was a most horrid noise and tightened his hold around Caterina's body.

"Make it stop," he growled lowly in her ear, causing her to giggle.

Caterina tried to pull away to answer it but he refused her the ability to move from him.

"You have to let go a little, if you want it to stop. I'm not going very far and, besides, it's probably Jamison, ready to have a heart attack or something along those lines."

He sighed reluctantly, released her and rolled over onto his back to impatiently wait for her to return to his arms again. Unexpectedly, she crawled across his chest as he had not realized the phone rested on the nightstand on his side. With a triumphant smirk, she answered it as she settled back onto him, straddling his waist. It was Jamison, just like she predicted, and he watched her, completely enraptured as she seductively stroked her free hand up and down his bare chest. Caterina didn't speak much, but rather rolled her eyes at him over the conversation while giving the occasional answer of yes or no, listening to Jamison going on and on.

Finally, she spoke, half in disgust, "Well, who did you expect it to be? Of course Severus is here. Didn't you ask Detective Wertz what the man looked like?"

Caterina paused to listen some more, widening and rolling her eyes again. She leaned down for a quick kiss on Severus' lips and he made not to let her sit back up at first. She giggled silently while fighting playfully with him to free herself.

Suddenly she snorted, shaking her head at whatever Jamison was saying.

"No Jamison, I not sure exactly how long he's staying but he's not going anywhere at the moment. I've got him pinned between my legs."

Caterina smirked at Jamison's comment to that and replied, "Yeah, whatever, thought you'd enjoy the visual on that. At least you didn't have to hear thumping and banging while going down the hallway. Now goodbye!"

Severus stared at her wide-eyed now as she switched the phone to 'off' before sitting it back down. She saw his raised brow silently questioning her and she started laughing.

"Don't even ask! I'm still a bit traumatized over it but I'll just say that Jamison was bringing his work home a lot of nights for a few months last year, in the form of his secretary."

"I see." Severus touched her cheek softly and scanned her face.

"You still look tired, my sweet."

Caterina inhaled deeply. "I am, actually."

"You were quite restless most of the night. Lie back down for a while," Severus gently coaxed.

As she did so, he wrapped himself around her, holding her securely and protectively to himself. It wasn't long before she drifted off into a peaceful sleep again. Severus held her while his thoughts revisited the past few days' events. There were several items that he needed to check on, if he were planning on spending most of his time with her over the summer, and it would only take a few hours to do so. And he would most assuredly look into the matter of this beast who dared to threaten his love.

Caterina finally awoke just after noon, looking much more rested. He happily greeted her with a long, lingering and passionate kiss, the first real one since he had arrived there. And it was obvious that he was trying to make up for that fact now.

"Hmmm..." was all Caterina could manage once he'd finally released her lips and mouth.

She nuzzled her face to his for a long time and ran her hands all over his chest. Severus didn't want to move but the sooner he got around to completing his few tasks, the sooner he could have her back in his arms there in that big white-clad wrought iron bed. He hated to tell her that he needed to leave, even for just a few hours, but it had to be done.

"Caterina, I do need to leave but only for a few hours today," he hurriedly spoke before the first part could sink in too much. "Just for a few hours, that's all, my love."

She frowned at him and lowered her eyes. He chuckled at the displeased look on her beautiful face and rolled over on top of her, planting kisses everywhere in between reemphasizing that it would only be for several hours and that he would return well before nightfall.

She sighed heavily, while holding his face in her hands. "Would you like something to eat before you go, love? You barely ate anything yesterday."

"The same goes for you." Severus grinned. "But yes, that would be nice. Ahh, and which bathroom should I use?"

Caterina nodded toward the master bathroom there within her bedroom and said, "The towels are in the closet to the left of the shower."

After another long round of kisses, promising he'd only be gone a short while, they finally rolled out of bed and got started with their day. Caterina headed to the kitchen and began making lunch, though she was heavily distracted by the thought of Severus, naked and using her shower. Maybe she should start thinking of it as their shower. That brought a bit of a blush to her cheeks and a giggle to her lips. She then noticed that he must have seen to cleaning up the proof of her meltdown from the night before and was deeply touched.

Before she knew it, they were at the front door, kissing goodbye. Caterina, quite intent on not letting him go, tried her very best to stall him. Finally, after his eighth attempt to unwrap her from himself, he swatted her bottom rather sharply, causing her to squeal and drop her legs from his waist. Severus took her pouting face in his hands and chuckled.

"My sweet Caterina, you are not making this any easier. The sooner I go, the sooner I'll be back again, _today_. After all, I believe I have several promises to fulfill," he said with that burning passion deep within his black eyes again.

"I still don't have to be happy about this, though." Caterina pouted.

"No, I agree." Severus held her sweet face between his hands. "Promise me you will stay inside the cottage while I'm gone. You will be safe, I'm most sure of that."

She nodded and, with one more swift kiss, he was gone. Caterina stopped in the hallway and pondered things for a few moments, then she nearly flew up the stairs, stripped and hopped into the shower herself. She'd decided to spend the time he was gone getting ready for his return, as she had a strong feeling as to what would soon be happening. Her mind was almost in overdrive in excitement and anticipation.

Caterina took forever on her long curls, until they looked perfect. Then she moved onto her makeup which she kept simple like usual, except for a tad more highlighting around her turquoise eyes. Nearly a half hour was used deciding upon which sweet little nothings to wear. In the end, she went with something sweet, sexy and utterly feminine. Lastly, she found herself in her closet sifting through clothes and eventually selecting a lovely beryl blue top that was low cut and brought out her eyes. She paired it with a short, flowing silk skirt with a soft floral print. Caterina slipped her feet into a simple pair of sandals and misted herself with Severus' favorite from the Poisons. Just as she finished, she heard the phone ringing. She scurried to snatch the closest one and, upon answering, was stopped cold in her tracks.

Caterina waited most impatiently on the couch for Severus to return. It had to be at any moment now, as the sun was just starting to set and he'd promised he'd be back before nightfall. Her mind was racing about the phone call and she was determined to only be happy. She would not shed any tears over it. It was not worth the effort.

Just before six, there was a sharp knock at the door and Caterina's heart nearly hit the roof as it thrilled at the sound. She couldn't yank the door open fast enough to throw herself into Severus' arms. He had no time to take in her beauty but he kissed her deeply all the same and lifted her off the ground. He kicked the door shut with his foot, flipped the two locks and made his way to the couch with amazing accuracy, despite the fact that he could barely see through kissing her so fiercely. Caterina sat in his lap facing him and squeezing him with all her might.

When they finally pulled apart to catch their breath, he chuckled and stroked her face. "I think it's safe to say that _someone_ certainly missed me."

And though she beamed up at him looking divinely exquisite, Severus couldn't help but notice the slight hint of tears on her eyes. "There's no need for tears, my love. I'm here and I'm not leaving again for a good long while."

"I know, it's not that, though. Jamison just called a little while ago... They found him!" Caterina exclaimed.

"Already? And just when I'd given that detective up as hopeless over losing him to begin with."

Caterina grinned. "Right, but the best news, Severus – he's dead!"

Severus blinked in surprise, yet his smile was rather smug. "Best thing to ever happen to that beast. Do you know what happened exactly?"

"Jamison just said his body was found in an alley behind a very shady bar in a really dodgy part of London. They think he must have got into a drunken fight with someone and finally lost." Caterina smiled but couldn't help but give a small shiver.

Severus black eyes stayed trained on her. "Pity it didn't happen a long time ago. Now let's not speak of him anymore."

Severus gripped her beautifully sweet face in his hands and stared, drinking her in and still just as much as ever amazed at the fact that she was his. His long fingers traced over her face, slowly down her neck and across the smooth skin of her chest. One hand reached behind to her back to press her closer to him while the other dropped between her breasts, as he sought out her mouth in a slow, sensuous kiss...

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A/N: So much has happened in the past two chapters - good, bad, awful, and wonderful! As far as what happens next - should they take a walk? Watch some telly? Awww… I'm only kidding! Don't get your panties in a bunch! Well, actually maybe... XD


	28. You Feel Like Heaven to Touch

A/N: This long-awaited is definitely M Rated! If you are in any way underage, turned off by or offended by adult situations, skip this chapter and wait for the next, content with the knowledge that they 'did it'! Those that enjoy lemons, sit back and enjoy the loving tenderness shared between them! LOL

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**Chapter 28**

**You Feel Like Heaven to Touch**

In that moment, he knew what they both wanted and longed for more than anything. He'd known for a long time that she was the only one who could ever completely and fully satisfy him, yet the timing had never allowed it to happen. And partly, he had never allowed it to happen because he was almost scared that he would not please her properly and thereby lose her. So it was never something he wanted to rush into as much as he might want it. Now, he refused to wait a moment longer as that thought seemed so ludicrous now. He wanted to give himself to her, to make love to her, his sweet, precious Caterina.

"I want you, Caterina Clarkstone," he whispered low and silkily into her ear as he planted tiny kisses all along her jaw and down her soft, inviting neck.

Caterina let out a soft moan. "I'm yours, Severus, all yours. I always have been."

She pulled his face to hers and, with practiced ease, they searched each other's mouths vigorously. Without breaking their passionate kiss, Severus rose from the couch, holding her securely in his arms. To him, she barely weighed anything at all. She hitched her legs tightly around his waist as he carried her up the stairs to the cool, white bedroom. He stopped a few feet from the silken covered bed as she slowly slid her legs down against his body, to stand on her own. They both kicked off their shoes as their bodies remained firmly entangled through their ever deepening and soul-searching kiss. Caterina's fingers were twisting and intertwining their way through his long, black hair, stopping every few moments to caress his face or neck. He loved the way it felt as he never tired of her fingers in his hair.

His strong hands gently released her waist and softly followed down along the curve of her full hips, then carefully he gripped her beautifully sweet face with them. While tracing little random patterns along her face and neck with his fingertips, he also traced his tongue around her lips before he continued to search out her mouth with his again. After a few moments though, she put her hands upon his chest, pushing herself slightly away with a tiny giggle. Severus looked questioningly into her eyes, wondering if he'd done something wrong already.

"Mmmm...That tickles."

"Ohh…," Severus grinned in relief.

Caterina then pulled her hands away from him completely, not breaking their gaze, and slowly pulled her thin beryl blue-colored shirt up over her head, and let it drop to the floor silently. Underneath it, she was wearing a sheer, lacy white bra that wonderfully accented her bosom. Severus drew in a sharp breath as he beheld her breasts in the see-through fabric. They were perfect. He stretched out his right hand, and slowly slid his fingers down between the start of their generous swell. Caterina closed her eyes and let out a soft moan. Her hands reached up to start undoing the buttons of the overcoat he'd failed to remove earlier, in his haste to kiss her.

"Way too many damn buttons you know," she murmured up at him with an amorous glow in her eyes.

"Allow me," came his rich, deep voice as he pulled her hands away.

Severus bent down, kissing her plump lips and delectable mouth intensely again while he quickly magicked all the buttons open at once. With a quick shrug from him, the black coat also dropped to the floor. He pulled back from her again, a smug smile playing across his lips.

She surveyed his handiwork with an approving smile, "Impressively quick."

Caterina lunged her hands up to the collar of his white shirt and began unfastening its buttons, though stopping halfway down when her soft, warm hands were distracted by his solid, bare chest underneath. He quickly undid the rest for her, pulled the shirt free of his pants and dropped it down, on top of the discarded coat. Her small hands worked their way seductively over every inch of his shoulders and torso, causing him to utter a light groan himself. Then Caterina dropped her hands suddenly, stepped back and reached behind herself to undo the clasp holding up her short, silky floral skirt. It slid silently along her legs to the floor around her feet and revealed a matching pair of tiny sheer, lacy white panties that tightly hugged every curve of her luscious bottom. That alone almost sent Severus over the edge. He had to touch her and feel her warmth - the warmth of her glorious body pressed up against him. And he needed to touch her because he desired her more than anything else in the whole world. _Ever_.

As he closed the small distance between them again, she gave him one of her most seductive smiles, stretched up on her toes and, once again, her little hands were back to his chest, this time along with her hot lips. They roamed all over his front and long strands of her glorious curls tickled against him with her movements as he stood there, his own hands sweeping tenderly up and down her translucent skin, gently caressing her everywhere. He thought her skin felt like the softest velvet ever made, under his fingertips. Caterina continued to plant sweet seductive kisses all over his chest and along his stomach as she reached for his belt, undoing it in a flash, followed by the top button of his pants.

Severus groaned again and louder. He gently pushed her hands back so he could remove the suddenly very restrictive pants faster by himself. As he stepped out of them, he tugged off his socks and was left wearing only a pair of onyx colored boxers.

They both paused, admiring each other's body in the fading daylight through the windows. Severus, desiring to see her full beauty better, reached over and flipped on the light upon the closest nightstand. He sighed appreciatively as he drank in the gorgeousness of her almost naked body.

"You are utterly and amazingly magnificent," he purred in a low, soothing voice, full of wonder.

She blushed slightly at his words of high praise, but her gaze shifted almost downward toward the floor while her hand seemed to move subconsciously to cover something along her right side, just below her breast. Why was she being unexpectedly shy now? He took her free hand, kissed the back of it lovingly then gently pried her other hand away to see what she was hiding from him.

There he saw several long white lines, running to and fro, along her ribs, down her side and around toward her lower back. Her scars. The awful scars given to her by the horrid, evil beast that had inflicted such agonizing pain and torment upon her years before. Pure raging anger threatened to erupt in the back of his mind but he quickly reminded himself that she could never and would never be hurt like that again. He would always see to that. And he would also see that one day soon, those scars would be removed forever, for her. Severus dropped her hands and gently grabbed her face, holding it firmly between his hands and leaned his face close into hers.

"Don't you dare..." he hissed softly, "don't you dare think for one second, Caterina, that these scars make you the slightest bit unattractive in any way. Don't you dare think that. You're prefect, Caterina, just the way you are. You don't need to hide them, especially not from me."

Severus watched as her blue eyes were threateningly close to brimming over. She gave him a slight nod and her usual, radiant smile soon filled her sweet lips again. It was then, that he felt an even deeper aching and maddening yearn to take away all her concerns and fears and to replace them with nothing but sheer joy and total bliss. Could he do that for her? He would most certainly try. She had given him so much more than he'd ever dreamed possible over the past few years.

He gently brushed her long curls back over her shoulders and leaned down to kiss her tenderly on her forehead. Then he slowly slid his hands down along her neck, over her silky soft shoulders and around to her smooth back. His fingers managed to open the bra's clasp as she widened her eyes, while raising her head up toward him, smiling and inhaling deeply. They locked eyes. His fiery black eyes eagerly searched her vivid turquoise eyes, as he carefully and delicately pulled the thin, lacy straps from her shoulders and down her arms, letting it drop.

Severus inhaled loudly in wondrous appreciation before tenderly placing his warm hands upon her ample breasts. His long fingers gingerly explored them as her delectable nipples grew harder. Caterina threw her head back and let out an inviting moan. He started to squeeze them, softly rubbing the palms of his hands across her hardened nipples. She bit her lip and moaned again.

Never, never in his life had he dared to ever picture himself in such a wonderfully euphoric state with anyone, and certainly not with anyone who could possibly feel the same way toward him, the way Caterina did. He reveled in his abundantly good fortune. Love had found its way into his long, hidden and frozen, dark heart. It now beat fiercely for her alone and because of her alone.

She was starting to whimper under the delightful sensations that his touching brought. Her arms reached up, searching to draw him closer to her. Before allowing her success, Severus dropped his hands to his waist and pushed off his boxers. Free at last, his throbbing manhood finally indulged itself in the heavenly warmth of being pressed up against her sensuous body. Oh the utter rapture it was!

Caterina smiled alluringly, as she drew her hand caressingly down his chest and slowly ran a slender finger along the length of his member. Then she turned her hand over and brushed it ever so softly with the back of it, going back up him. Severus tried hard to stifle his groans of pleasure as he reached down to remove her lacy panties. Wildly, without giving it any thought, he yanked the thin lace right into two. Well, at least they were off now.

"Sorry..." was all he could manage with a shrug.

Caterina giggled. "No. I don't think you actually are."

"You're right, I am not in the least bit sorry 'bout it."

And with that, his hands hooked around under her pleasingly round buttocks and he hoisted her up off her own feet, gripping her as tightly as he dared against his own naked body. She obligingly wrapped her legs around his waist again. Their faces met as she moaned freely and enticingly at being naked and in his arms at last. Her hands pushed through the curtain of black hair hanging around his neck, and she tilted his head so their lips could meet completely as she locked her arms behind his head. They kissed deeply and earnestly, their warm, naked bodies pressed firmly together finally, in the way they'd both been craving for what seemed like an eternity. Severus pulled away suddenly and looked at her with a playful gleam in his eye. He started kissing down her chin, her neck and on down past her collarbone while lifting Caterina even higher against him and supporting her back with one arm so his mouth could more easily reach her supple breasts.

He took a deep breath while inhaling her scent. As he started to run his tongue across an erect nipple, she squealed in immense pleasure. Caterina arched herself against him, threw her head back, whipping her long curls everywhere and causing his head to plunge deep between her breasts. He tenderly kissed and sucked both of them as her moaning grew louder. And when he started to gently bite at them, she started panting, while squeezing her legs even tighter around him. That was it. No more waiting for it. He carried her over to the large white bed, shoving pillows and blankets away with one arm and gently laying her down on her back. She gasped as he pulled away and a few tiny goose bumps appeared on her arms.

"You're cold?" he asked in a concerned voice.

"Only a little, but I doubt it will last long," she said imploringly with another deeply seductive smile, as she ran her own hands slowly down over her shoulders and across her breasts to rest on her stomach.

He smirked and raised an eyebrow at her. "No. I don't believe it will."

Severus stood at the edge of the bed, between her slightly parted feet, placed a hand on each leg, and began to stroke his fingertips ever so lightly upward, toward her luscious hips. Caterina dug her fingernails into the white sheets and grabbed handfuls of the silky fabric as she arched her back, up off the bed. Severus leaned in toward her, finally bringing his knees up onto the bed, while spreading her legs wider and crouching over the top of her. He looked at her appraisingly for a few moments before bowing his head to kiss her hip where her tattoo resided. Then he traced his tongue all around her hip there, while his fingers caressed along the insides of her silky, smooth legs. His mouth continued to kiss all over her splendid hip area, as it had long been another fine source of tempting distraction for him. While he continued to place his adorations there, she ran her fingernails lightly and repeatedly over his head and through his long black hair.

"You know, I've been wanting to do that since the day you showed it to me," he said with a seductive gleam in his own dark eyes as he pulled away.

Then finally, he bent to kiss the moist entrance between her legs. Caterina gasped sharply, while grabbing handfuls of his hair and arching herself again, forcing his mouth harder against her sweet place. He flicked his tongue up and down and in and out, several times, causing her to scream in titillating delight. He had to gently press his hands against her legs and hold them back as he thoroughly enjoyed her there, listening to her celestial sounding moans of growing pleasure.

"Oh, God! Severus, SEVERUSSS! Take me now! Please!" Caterina shrieked wantonly.

He himself laughed delightedly at that response. It was all so amazing. Severus had never made anyone scream his name out of sheer pleasure before. This was going so much easier than he'd ever thought it would be; maybe it just came naturally, when the time was right. Severus lifted his head and smoothly crawled up over her so that they were now level with each other, but with their bodies barely touching as he supported himself above her by his outstretched arms. She grabbed him by his shoulders and tried in vain to pull him down against her. He chuckled at her useless efforts and stared deeply into her azure eyes, pausing a moment to take it all in.

Caterina was so special, so miraculous to him. He didn't deserve her by any means but yet here she was, ready to give herself to him, completely and freely. Because, for some astonishing reason, she saw past his many, many faults and loved him anyway. _Him_, Severus Snape. She loved _him_. He was no longer alone, not since she had come into his life! It was an extraordinary feeling to know that. To feel a real, pure and honest love. The love that can only be experienced by finding the one person meant for you. It was like no other feeling he'd ever experienced in his life.

Severus lowered himself, pressing his body lightly against hers and kissed her forehead first, then her eyes, her nose, her cheeks and finally her full lips. Oh, how he loved to kiss that wonderful mouth of hers. She tasted so sweet, like nectar from the gods. He lingered on her lips a while before finally pulling away ever so slightly to look again into her intensely blue eyes. Severus could see and feel her love for him, shining out on him. Caterina lovingly stroked the side of his cheek then she encircled her small hands around his back, and this time drawing herself up against him. He let out a deep groan of total enjoyment at the feeling of her completely naked body pressing hard up against his.

He lowered her back down to the bed, and with his legs, he gently forced her legs wider apart. He raised himself up over top of her once more, supporting himself on one hand, while the other went to fondle her firm breasts again. He knew he would never get enough of those beauties. They sought each other's lips and kissed again so passionately that, by the time they parted, Caterina was rapidly gasping for breath. Severus moaned deeply, into her shoulder, trying to catch his own breath and was thoroughly surprised and gratified as she spread her legs completely and fought to wrap them around his thighs, trying to draw him closer still while entwining her legs with his. She really did want him.

She moaned and arched against him as he lowered himself into position to finally enter her with his throbbing arousal. Slowly and carefully, he pushed in past her entrance. Caterina drew a sharp breath, shuddered excitedly and grabbed handfuls of his hair again, before tightly gripping his shoulders. Her eyes closed and she squealed in pure delight, straining and trying to arch herself up against his body more. He pushed himself in a little further. She let out a deeper enraptured moan, dug her nails into his back and then continued down with her sweet little hands until they grabbed his ass tightly and she squeezed him. How he had managed to show any kind of restraint up until now, he had no idea. Severus wanted to utterly ravish her with his love for her. He couldn't stand it any longer and so he thrust himself all the way into Caterina, becoming fully one with her at last. Her tightness felt unbelievably magnificent and inviting around him.

As he let out a low, deep moan, she screamed. "AHHHHHHHhhhhhh!"

She screamed so loudly that he paused his movements for a long moment to search her face. Had he hurt her, in his haste? Their eyes locked and he anxiously searched her face for any sign of pain.

"Severus! Oh please, no! Mmmmph! NO! Please don't stop!" she pleaded.

Severus smiled a highly satisfied smile. He thrust into her again, and again, their eyes still holding each other's. He slowly begin building into a rhythm as Caterina clasped herself to him with all her might and matched his rhythm as she continued to arch her back and legs up against him, his strong arm lifting her off the bed, and angling her sweet, round bottom toward him. She was panting and whimpering, louder and louder, and as she did so, he thrust faster and faster into her, causing her glorious breasts to bounce against him. They were both lost in a world of complete and overwhelming ecstasy, filled with unbridled passion. Soon, she was gasping and moaning so intensely, yet it was like a melodious sound to him. Her warm hands roamed all over his body, until finally she dug her nails down into his back and began to writhe uncontrollably under him, her little, yet powerful dancer's legs squeezing and releasing against his. God, she felt amazingly warm and tight around him.

He pulled out, hesitated for a few seconds, then he penetrated her deeply, as hard and as fast as he possibly could, driving them both over the edge. She screamed over and over as he groaned uncontrollably and almost savagely in his lust to attain her. They both shook breathlessly and wildly against each other in unison as their love-making culminated into its crescendo.

"Severussss! Oh Severus! Ahhhhh!" Caterina cried out. "Yes! YES! Mmmph! Severussss! Oh God!"

"Caterina! Mmm... You feel... ahhh...feel so good!"

They climaxed together in sheer waves of bliss that continually erupted out over them for several long minutes. Everything in the world faded into nothingness, except for him and her, and the splendor of the gift they had just experienced and shared together. It had been perfect and so completely satisfying for them both, yet it left them totally craving, wanting and needing so much more now. Time stood still for them and nothing else mattered, but each other.

After a short while, Severus carefully rolled over onto his back, taking Caterina with him so that she was on top of him now. He didn't want to crush her under his weight. They lay together, wrapped tightly in each other's arms with their legs still half entangled for a long while as the intense heat and the glistening sweat from their passionate love-making and consummation cooled. He longingly searched out her bright blue eyes. They seemed to shine out like radiant stars that could see straight into his soul. She had seen into his soul and yet, she loved him still. She stroked his face so lovingly and tenderly, again and again with her hand, as she gazed into his eyes, smiling. He could read in her face a look of utter serenity and contentment. He held her adoringly in his arms, lost in wonder over her love for him, realizing that his own love for her grew deeper still, with each and every moment they spent together. He never wanted to let go of her. He would never let go of her. She was his. His one and only Love.

"Thank you, Caterina," he whispered at last, as he caressed her face and gently kissed her lips. "For you. For this… For giving me a love I never thought someone like me would or should have. I didn't want to believe it or accept it for a long time. At first… you were just too good to be true. You still are, in fact. I could never possibly deserve someone half as good as you. I don't deserve you, even now."

"Severus, I don't want you to feel that way. You know I love you. No matter what, I'll love you, always and forever," she whispered back to him as she rested her little hand on his heart.

"Yes, Caterina, my Love, I know. I feel it. I believe it. With every fiber in my being."

"If you truly believe that, you more than deserve me, Severus."

Severus lay there for a long time, watching over his sweet, beautiful Caterina, as sleep softly overtook her while safely wrapped in his loving arms. He himself was almost afraid to go to sleep, for fear that he'd awaken to find it all just a divinely, taunting dream. But, no it wasn't, this was real, wonderfully and splendidly real. They had finally made love and it had been so much more amazing than he ever could have dreamed it to be!

He pondered again for a long while, about finally breaking down and telling her the complete truth about himself. But being with her helped to shut out all the troubles he was facing in the Wizarding World. Her love was his only solace and acted so many times as a relieving balm to his troubled soul. Through her love, she made his heart feel lighter, freer and unburdened when he was with her. Just the very thought of her soothed his weary soul so often. He was a far different and much happier man with her. Severus was not afraid to lose her, for he knew her far too well now and he knew she would accept the truth and ultimately be fine over it when he did tell her, and explained his reasons of guarding her from it for so long.

The only reasons he had to continue holding back still were for her ultimate protection and because he enjoyed how it felt to escape into her world, complete with her love for him, peaceful and free of the dangers of magic, brought on by this current war. However he could protect and shield her from it all, whatever it took, he was willing to do so until this madness was over and finished. Because Severus knew that if he lost Caterina, his only Love, his life would become meaningless and he would cease to exist.

* * *

Severus awoke to see her radiant face, smiling down at him from against his chest the next morning, as wonderfully vivid pictures flooded his mind with what they'd done together only a few short hours before. He felt quickly aroused again and even more so as he began to notice how her glorious naked form was pressing against his. Caterina lay atop of him and traced her fingernails lightly around his neck, his shoulders and his chest. There was an almost devilish gleam upon her amazingly bright turquoise eyes as he searched them.

He reached up and cupped her face in his hands, asking, "What are you thinking, my sweet love?"

But before even allowing her to answer, Severus pulled her face down and said his good mornings in a most passionate way, his mouth heavy upon hers. Without breaking the kiss, she drew herself up until she was positioned, straddling his hips. Then slowly, she leaned back away from his kiss, sitting upon him, while smiling bewitchingly and tracing a soft, slender finger around his lips. Good God, the view of her beautiful face and her supple breasts leaning over him from this angle made him wonder if she were perchance really a divine goddess in origins.

Caterina clutched both of his shoulders and leaned further down, letting her breasts barely touch his skin, nibbling all around his ear before she amorously whispered into it, "I was just wondering if you'd possibly care to join me… in the shower?"

And with that highly appealing revelation, she extracted herself from off of him, quite suggestively, and headed toward the bathroom door. Caterina stopped only long enough in the doorway to turn and arch an exquisite eyebrow at him, while silently beckoning him with her finger. Severus stared at her gloriously naked body as the power of all thought and speech left him, to be replaced only by a multitude of sensual cravings and purely carnal fits of lust for her. He found himself solid and ready in an instant, as he jumped from the bed to follow the object of all his desires.

Caterina had already stepped into the shower and started the warm water, leaving the frosty glass door ajar. Severus was behind her in no time flat, as she could feel his needful desire pressing firmly against her back, while he clutched her bottom and squeezed her cheeks as hard as he dared.

She turned slightly and lifted her head up to better see him as he stood behind her. "Good morning to you too, handsome."

His black eyes widened and his smile grew almost radiant at that. Severus leaned down to kiss her as he slowly slid his hands around to her hips, and up along her stomach to fondle her exquisite breasts. In a matter of moments, they were both completely wet and dripping with the warm water that cascaded down upon them. Caterina smiled to herself as she was reveling in the newly discovered power of total seduction that she could so easily wield over him. Turning toward Severus, she grabbed him and wrapped her slender fingers tightly around his thick shaft, while rubbing her thumb along its underside. That act caught him completely by surprise and he threw a hand out onto the white-tiled shower wall to steady himself, groaning deeply as the warm water continued to wash over both of them.

Caterina tilted her head up, an alluring smile upon her lips as she read the look in his eyes. They were shining black and burning with complete and total desire for her. He reached out and stroked her face just before she knelt down and began to kiss his extreme hardness. Again he was wholly unprepared for her actions and he groaned loudly as an awesome wave of new pleasures overtook him, unknown to him before now. This was rather new to Caterina herself but she thoroughly enjoyed it all, as she continued to kiss him, taking him into her mouth. Several times she gently nipped the tip of him with her teeth, causing him to grab at the walls again, shaking slightly and groaning gutturally. Then she seductively brushed her dripping wet curls all around his front. Finally, after a few more delightfully delicious minutes, she slowly rose up until his hardness was positioned perfectly between her wet, slippery breasts.

"Ohhh Caterina...mhhhh...ahhaaaa," was all he could barely manage to moan at that highly erotic arrangement.

Caterina herself sucked in a sharp breath as Severus grabbed at the sides of her breasts and squeezed them tightly together, thrusting himself against her chest several times while firmly lodged between the two round orbs. He seemed unable to keep his hands off her as they began to roam, exploring and grabbing every inch of her steamy, wet and glistening body. She felt herself being gently pulled back into full standing position again, as he leaned down against her, kissing all over her face, neck and bosom, all the while pushing a strong hand in between her thighs. She eagerly parted them, allowing his long fingers access to completely explore the burning, wanting desire growing there.

Soon, she also was moaning and whimpering at his wonderfully stimulating touches and loving caresses. And, as Severus crouched down in front of her to continue pleasing her with his mouth, Caterina felt so enraptured, she wasn't sure how much more she could take before exploding. Her fingers delved into his black hair repeatedly and, though she urged him closer and deeper into her core with her hands, she was in no way ready to completely submit to the overwhelming feelings of intoxicating ravishment until his throbbing manhood was buried deep within her again. She wanted him more than ever before.

Caterina searched around with her blue eyes and suddenly gave a naughty little giggle, while shoving him away from her as she stepped toward the back wall of the shower. Turning to face him and pressing her body back against the wet tiles, she couldn't help but chuckle at the highly disheartened look now creeping onto Severus' face. But it was quickly replaced with immediate understanding as he watched her reach her hands up and grasp hold of the high towel bar, positioned in the wall above her head. She'd always wondered who the hell would take a dry towel into a wet shower with them, but now she fully comprehended that it could be used fabulously for entirely different purposes.

Severus approached her and rested his hands upon her waist, while he sought to passionately kiss her once more. As she allowed him unhindered access to probe her mouth, she felt his hands starting to slide up her stomach once again and make their way to her breasts which he gently cupped in his hands and started rubbing and squeezing.

He broke the deep kiss and whispered silkily into her ear, "If you were any more perfect, I would not even be able to breathe in your presence, my darling Caterina."

She bit her lower lip as he bent his head to her chest and started to flick his tongue across her hardened nipples while fondling them in his strong and very capable hands. Moans began to escape her lips and they grew louder, until she could no longer take the titillating sensations that were causing immensely erogenous responses all throughout her body. She pulled herself up using the bar as leverage and struggled to wrap her legs around Severus' very wet body, squeezing him closer to her, as if it were really possible for them to get any closer.

"Severus, I want you. Right _now_. Inside me," Caterina panted.

Severus didn't need to be asked twice. "And that you shall have. Right _now_."

Caterina felt him lifting her higher still and she readjusted her grasp on the bar while he gently pinned her to the wall with part of his weight, moving her into perfect position for his entry. She locked her eyes into his as she felt him begin to push into her. Oh what a divine feeling it was, unlike any other pleasure in the world. He started slow, like before, and gradually built to a faster pace. Her breasts were now swaying and bouncing and he bent to kiss and nip at them some more, while his one hand locked around hers on the bar, to keep her from slipping. Several more deep groans escaped her lover's lips as she eagerly watched the waves of pure enjoyment washing repeatedly over his handsome face.

Severus closed his eyes and threw his head back, grinding into her, deeper still, pushing her hard against the tiles while forcing her legs wider apart as his other hand now wrapped around her left thigh. She felt the flames of their impassioned love-making beginning to overcome her. Caterina let out an elated cry as she let go of all thought, allowing the complete lustfulness of their ardent joining to consume her. She felt him thrusting deeply within and she squeezed her legs around him with all her might, gasping and crying out, as it drove both of them into glorious release. His hot seed was filling her, and he yelled her name several times, groaning in extreme lust. Eagerly she rode on, screaming and panting herself, while the waves of pure and total climax found her as well. Caterina pulled one hand free and brought it down hard on Severus' shoulder, grabbing it and digging her nails into him as she shuddered with ecstasy, deeply against him. Utterly weak with pleasure tingling and coursing through her every vein, she could no longer hold onto the bar, and as she let go, she fell forward into Severus' strong, waiting arms.

Caterina had no idea how Severus managed to lower them both onto the shower floor without collapsing, as he also looked completely sated by their union once again and devoid of any strength himself from the intensity of it all. They sat there together for a long while as neither one of them minded the warm water that continued to wash down over them, cooling their bodies from the passion that had so vigorously ensued between them.

Sitting in his lap facing him, she rested her head against his shoulder, caressing his chest with her hands as he gently played with a few of her shiny, wet curls that hung around her breasts and sighed contentedly.

"Oh Severus... that was... just, well both times... it was... indescribable!"

"I know," he said richly, while nuzzling at her ear and down along her neck with his nose and lips.

"Not that I had any doubts that it wouldn't be wonderful... but I... I didn't –"

"You didn't expect it to be so completely amazing and utterly euphoric?" he finished for her, tightening his hold around her and kissing her forehead tenderly as he raised a hand to tilt her sweet face to his. "Neither did I, my Love, neither did I."

* * *

A/N: Well… Thoughts on that?:) Hope you thoroughly enjoyed! It was worth the long wait, wasn't it? Nothing but love, sweet love between them!

If you haven't already discovered the funny and frivolous little lemon drop of a snippet that I posted separately that also involves Severus and Caterina, might I suggest you read _**Cookies, Followed with a Side of Lemonade! **_It's a purely fun snapshot that fits in nicely, somewhere between chapters 28-31. :D


	29. Indulgences

**Chapter 29**

**Indulgences**

The days and weeks that followed were filled with nothing but pure bliss for Caterina and Severus. For the first time in their relationship, they could spend their time together completely uninterrupted, with all their moments devoted solely to one another. They spent endless hours together exploring each other's bodies, holding each other close and talking about things important to them.

Severus knew he would not be summoned by the Dark Lord again until sometime late in July. Most days he was promptly able to push all thoughts on those issues from his mind. He felt he had more than earned this time - time to focus on Caterina alone, however short it may be. Severus was beginning to wonder how he had ever made it through life without her. The thought which disturbed him most though, was the uncertainty of how their future together would unfold. This next school term would probably prove to be the toughest yet for them. But now, more than ever before, was he willing to viciously fight for his survival and for the total destruction of Voldemort. For the first time in his life, Severus had something to live for, someone to love and who loved him in return.

Voldemort's mission for Severus was already known to him. In fact, Dumbledore and he had correctly anticipated almost every one of the Dark Lord's intentions before they were announced to his innermost circle of Death Eaters. Severus' task involved him taking over as Hogwarts' Headmaster. In that position, it was believed that he would be able to start the long and tedious job of disabling and rendering many of the castle's protections and defenses as useless, since Voldemort hoped to make his final stand of overthrowing the Ministry of Magic and taking the Wizarding World by force from there.

Dumbledore spent his last few months going over such details with Severus. He had shared many of the castle's secrets with him. What Voldemort failed to understand was that the castle's magic stood as it was, irrevocably tied to it. It could not be removed and would stand firm against any who intended to bring harm within its wall, whether they be approved and sanctioned by the headmaster or not. The Dark Lord expected Severus to be spending most of his summer at the castle, beginning his work, and he had absolutely no reason to suspect that his now right-hand Death Eater was anywhere but there.

Severus told Caterina that the pretense of living at the shabby little house on Spinner's End needed to be kept up for the time being. She understood and did not ask questions. Now that they were living together, the idea of ever going back there appeared utterly foreign to him. Severus had spent his life living with his guard constantly up and rarely ever allowed or found himself to ease into comfort anywhere until now. Being with her was never anything remotely close to what he had imagined his life would ever be able to hold. But for the first time, he found himself completely content in his life of waking daily with Caterina in his arms, making love to her at any moment and of falling asleep each night with her head resting safely upon his chest.

He made his rounds about once each week for just a few hours, usually stopping off first at Spinner's End to check that no one had been by in his absence. Then he would head to Hogwarts and enter the castle through one of the many secret entrances. Dumbledore had informed him of several more in addition to the ones he himself had already been aware of. Severus carefully masked his presence each time he entered the castle for he did not relish the idea of incurring the wrath of Minerva McGonagall who forever seemed to be roaming the halls. He understood that everyone in the Order of the Phoenix now believed him an absolute and total traitor in the worst sense.

While it would have been too great a risk for anyone else to know the exact role he was playing other than Dumbledore, at times he felt that Minerva had her suspicions about him being a double agent though. Completely clearing his name on the charges of still being a devoted Death Eater was one of the few things that Severus would see to as soon as this war was over. Usually after conferring with Dumbledore's portrait on different strategies and ideas, Severus would then return home to Caterina at the cottage. And each time she eagerly welcomed him back as if he'd been gone weeks instead of merely hours.

* * *

Upon returning late in the afternoon near the end of June, Severus was alarmed and fearful at first to find that Caterina wasn't waiting for him inside the cottage. After a brief search, she was not in the gardens that surrounded most of the cottage. He quickly grabbed his wand and soon discovered her out under the spreading Holme oak that she seemed to love to much. It was then he'd remembered Caterina had said she'd have a little surprise waiting for him when he returned home that evening, so he hurried out to her.

Severus discovered his sweet Caterina had arranged a romantic little dinner for them under the large spanning tree. Sitting on a thick blanket, staring happily out at the ocean was how he found her as he approached. In one quick action, he lifted her up and kissed her ever so passionately before pulling away and giving her a quizzical look.

"Have I forgotten something important?" he asked carefully while he searched his mind for any overlooked event.

Caterina giggled softly and placed her hands upon his chest, raising an eyebrow to imply that he could indeed figure it out if he thought hard enough. He scanned her over and thought her dress looked vaguely familiar but he couldn't quite place it. By the mischievous grin on her face, it appeared she was going to let him sweat it out for a few moments longer. At last, he admitted defeat and enveloped her tightly into his arms in a bid to soften her mock anger at him.

"How just like a man– can't be bothered to remember the important dates," Caterina said exasperatedly as she gave him a teasing little pout.

"Ahh…hmm," he started while running the date around in his head, still with no luck.

"It's the date that I first showed up at your door, five years ago," she explained. "I thought maybe it would be a nice thing to celebrate."

"Oh, now that is certainly something to celebrate," Severus mused quietly.

Sitting on the outspread blanket, Severus pulled Caterina down into his lap. Taking her face into his hands, he stared deeply into her bright blue eyes for a long moment while briefly reflecting back on many things that had occurred between them in that time. As always, he found himself in awe at possessing her and her love. Reaching over, he lifted the wine bottle, swiftly popped off the cork and filled the two glasses that she held up for him.

"To you, my sweet and beautiful love," Severus crooned into her ear.

Caterina blushed and kissed him on the cheek as he realized now that the soft blue and brown patterned wrap dress she was wearing was the same one that he'd first admired her in. He started to tug at the knot holding it shut in the front.

"Do I get to open my present now?" he whispered richly, nibbling on her earlobe.

"Maybe after dinner, for dessert," she smiled coyly with a wink.

Severus raised an impatient brow. "Let's eat then."

It was a beautiful and warm evening out and the sun was just beginning to sink below the ocean's horizon. After they had finished eating, she relaxed back into his arms to admire it, while his fingers, again, began to undo the knot of her dress.

"Isn't it a beautiful sunset? Look at all those colors… so brilliant…," she murmured softly.

"I've seen my share of sunsets and, frankly, it's not as stunning as you. Making love to you under such a sky, now that is brilliant," Severus proclaimed in his deep silky voice at her ear.

Caterina felt wondrous chills running down her spine at his voice. Severus succeeded in undoing the knot. Gently he pulled back the fabric to view her glorious figure, left only wearing a black lacy bra with matching panties. He let out an appreciative sigh at the sight, as she dropped the dress from her arms and turned to start on his many little black buttons. Soon, Severus was completely naked with her straddling his waist and he reached around to her back to unhook her bra only to be confused at finding no clasp.

She chuckled lightly. "It's staring you right in the face, my dearest."

"Hmmm… I would suggest that means…," began Severus as he pressed several kisses between her breasts. "I need to get even better acquainted with all of your little… _pretties_."

Caterina moaned. "Yes, we'll certainly continue to work on that."

Softly and skilfully, he ran his long fingers up her stomach to the clasp and carefully worked it loose. Ever so slowly, Severus pulled back the lace to fully reveal her breasts. Tenderly he stroked them with his fingers before rolling and flipping her over to her back with him over top of her. There was a quiet ripping sound that soon followed his sudden movements.

"Severus! That's the fifth pair of panties you've ripped this week!" Caterina admonished him with a chuckle.

With a fluid shrug of his shoulders and a smug smirk, he expressed no apology. "Call me impatient, I suppose."

Severus started to kiss her neck as he trailed tiny bites along the way. Seductively his lips worked their way down and around almost every inch of her body as she moaned delightedly in response to his touches. Soon he was overcome with the immediate need to possess her and he pushed her smooth legs further apart. She raised her knees up to grant him complete access, wrapping her legs around him. Swiftly, he entered her and began to thrust rhythmically while his hands clasped hers. They interlaced their fingers and he held them down to the ground above her head. All that could be heard were their combined sounds of enjoyment and as they both reached their climax, Caterina screamed out with exquisite pleasure. How Severus loved making her scream like that and never tired of hearing it.

Together, they lay under the tree as night crept upon them, sweetly caressing each other and whispering to each other at times. As the stars began slipping through into the dark sky and twinkling overhead, Severus would occasionally point out a few by name to her. A gentle breeze off the ocean slowly cooled them.

After a long, peaceful silence, Caterina rolled onto her side to face him fully. "Severus, will you please be completely honest with me?"

Bringing his lips to her forehead, he pressed a kiss there. "About what, my sweet Caterina?"

"About what's going to happen between us at the start of term…," she finished with a shaky voice.

He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes. This was not anything he wanted to discuss because he knew it would lead nowhere that he wanted to follow. He'd given it much thought, many a night after she'd fallen asleep so contentedly on his chest. But it must come out sometime, though, and maybe with preparing themselves now, it might make it the tiniest bit easier in the end.

"You'll be leaving won't you? And I still won't be able to go along," she whispered in a now scared voice. "And I get the feeling that you will not be making many visits to see me, will you?"

He couldn't look at her, even in the darkness. The pain of what he had to soon do would become too much. His voice was lost as well so he couldn't answer. Instead, Severus tenderly pulled her head to his and nuzzled her face and neck. Caterina felt her heart skip a beat as she was pretty sure as to what was coming.

"You're going to be headmaster now, aren't you?" she whispered.

"Yes," he managed to whisper back. "I'll be headmaster. I don't want the job, but it is mine and it's the safest route to take, in regards to that of the students' welfare. And, it would be almost suicide to take you along. I want to take you there more than anything but not until this is over."

She sighed sadly. "None there knows about me at all, huh?"

"Not a soul." Severus locked eyes with her, wanting her to fully understand his reasons. "And we need it to stay that way for just a while longer. I've told you before I will _never_ risk your safety because of me, no matter how much I would rather take you along, to have you always by my side. Dumbledore did not even know, though he assumed rather accurately that there was something more between us than just you being my… _landlady_."

Caterina let out a small chuckle at that reminder as she rested her head against his.

"Caterina, things are rapidly coming to an end with this finally, and while I may have to severely limit our contact during the next several months, it will in no way change what we have between us… or what I feel for you." He paused, letting out a frustrated and angry breath. "I wish sometimes… with all my soul, that things were different, but they are not and I must see this through. I promise you however, when this is over, I will take you to Hogwarts, show you all around… and show you off as well. And I'll be able to tell you everything. But most importantly, it will be over and _nothing_ will interfere with us again. I won't allow anything to stand in the way of us being together after all is finished."

Tenderly, she pressed her hand against his heart and spoke softly, "Severus, as much as I absolutely hate every bit of this, I want you to know that I'm extremely proud of you for how strong and brave you've been through all of this over the years. I know I don't know or understand much of it, but I can see how things have affected you and how you've dealt with them."

Deeply touched by her words, Severus pulled her into a crushing embrace and held her close for a long while. He wished he had the words to tell her just how much what she'd said really meant to him. Finally, she wiggled free just a bit and reached up to run her fingers in his hair. After several minutes of that, Caterina suddenly stopped and let out a small gasp.

"What is it?" he asked with great concern.

"You know, I never thought to ask you before, but there aren't any women teachers there that, ahh, ever hit on you, hmm? Anyone I should be jealous of?"

Severus let out the longest and loudest bellowing laugh she'd ever heard from him with his whole body convulsing from it. "I can assure you, my sweet _Love_, that no one has ever given it a_ first_ thought, let alone a _second_ thought," he said amusedly. "You remember how… well, how unfriendly I acted toward you in the beginning?"

"Umm, yes unfortunately I do, but I must say you've really come a very long way since then," she half muttered as her small hand snaked its way down his chest toward his waist.

"Oh yesss, I'd like to think I have," Severus hissed lightly as her warm fingers wrapped around him and he swallowed hard before continuing. "But, let's just say that how I treated you then would be viewed as quite friendly on my part from most that I work with."

"So, what you're saying is that everyone there thinks you're a snarky, mean and crotchety man who desperately needs to get laid?" Caterina teased.

"That's probably putting it mildly," he breathed heavily as he was overcome with rather lustful sensations now coursing through his body again.

"Hmm… well, guess I still have my work cut out for me after all, then?" Caterina replied before she started working her way down his body with her sweet, full lips. "Can't dare have that being the truth."

Severus gasped and could only nod in full agreement. The rest of their evening was spent reveling in the heavenly sensations of pleasing each other until they both drifted off to sleep under the sheltering cover of the oak.

* * *

Early the next week, Jamison arranged for the usual driver to pick them up and Severus and Caterina headed for London. They would be staying at the flat there for a few days while Caterina underwent her yearly round of checkups concerning her lung issues. However, since her last bout in the hospital, when she had shown such wonderful improvement, her doctor speculated that this could possibly be her last visit, unless she encountered any further problems in the future.

They ran a whole series of tests, from blood work to chest x-rays and what seemed like everything in between. After two days, the tests were thankfully through as Caterina had grown quite tired and weary of being poked and probed over by the doctors. Then she and Severus had two days to themselves while waiting for all the results to come back. Instead of venturing out and about in London, they made the most of the free time, leisurely enjoying each other in every room of the flat.

Friday morning found them back in the doctor's office to go over all the tests. Doctor Steelman got directly to the point and proclaimed Caterina to be a complete miracle.

"Every test that we ran showed an amazing and remarkable improvement in your right lung. What had showed up on multiple other x-rays in the past as scar tissue, seems to be all but gone. I really can't explain it other than to chance a guess that our old machine might have just had a glitch in it that was showing us that. Scar tissue isn't known vanish. And if it wouldn't be for a few minor internal and superficial abrasions, I'd never know that anything had ever punctured your lung."

He still cautioned Caterina to take extra care during the winter months and that at the first signs of any problems in her breathing or pain in her lungs, to come in for a check up. She was not required to return any time soon for any follow-ups.

As they left the doctor's, Caterina couldn't help but notice the especially smug look plastered all over Severus' face. "Someone appears entirely pleased with themselves."

"Just entirely relieved to hear everything the doctor had to say," he said smoothly, still holding a large, knowing smirk.

"I know. At least there's one less thing to worry about in the coming months," she mused quietly as they walked back to the flat.

Severus understood her meaning in that and, sliding his arm tighter around her waist, he whispered reassuringly. "It won't be easy but I promise we're going to make it through this, Caterina."

"Yes, I don't doubt that at all, but it's the not being together part that worries me most. Not knowing if something should happen to you or if..." Caterina choked on her words, unable to finish.

"Shhh. Nothing is going to happen to me." Severus squeezed her reassuringly, wanting to believe his own words.

"I'm trying to believe that and trying hard not to worry, Severus, I really am… but I love you, so much."

She tried to hide the hitch in her voice and forced a small hopeful smile but it did not completely reach her vivid turquoise eyes. Severus swallowed and took a deep breath as he was unsure how to answer her. He reached out and tucked a few stray curls back behind her ear while placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

They met Jamison for lunch at a little corner café. He beamed from ear to ear, thrilled upon hearing the doctor's good report for her. Then the rest of their visit was spent discussing Clarkstone Mansion and getting it ready to go on the market. Most everything that Caterina wanted to keep had already been removed and placed into storage for the time being. Although she missed the huge house to a degree, she felt in her heart that it just wasn't home anymore. Living in the stone cottage with Severus had replaced it, and she wanted nothing other than that now.

Severus and Caterina enjoyed a lazy afternoon in the flat and, for dinner, she wanted to order in from her favorite Italian restaurant. He was quite pleased by that as he never really fancied the idea of spending much time out around in the general public even among muggles, knowing he could never be too careful with Caterina. Not to mention the fact that he was also most selfish in his time with Caterina and did not like to share her with any other distractions.

"Ohhh… Yummy! Nothing like saving the best for last," giggled Caterina as she opened the last container of their dinner.

Feeling somewhat affronted by that, Severus sharply growled at her. "I thought I was supposed to be the best?"

"You are Love, but this is my absolute favoritest dessert in the world." Caterina drew it close and inhaled its rich smell, as she closed her eyes, smiling widely in pleasure. "Mmmhh…."

Severus gave another dark growl and stalked off to sit on the couch, highly perturbed that a simple dessert could make her so happy.

"Severus, maybe if you indulged in a few more sweets at times, you just might understand it," she chuckled as she followed after him, carrying a fork and the container.

Caterina plopped down into his lap and quickly wiggled and wormed her way into his arms. She knew that he was never entirely fond of any sweets but every once in a while he would try something much to her delight, and usually, he ended up not minding it. He just enjoyed acting grumpy about it all.

"Have you ever tried tiramisu anyway?" asked Caterina, sweetly batting her lashes.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Tiramisu. That's what this is. It's made with - oh, who the hell cares! Just try a taste for me, please. Please? I bet you'll like it." Caterina cooed in a soothing voice.

He folded his arms stubbornly across his chest and raised a glowering brow at her. Severus knew he'd give in to her demands eventually but he was going to enjoy holding out for as long as possible.

"I'm not really in the mood for anything sweet right now," he answered gruffly.

She leaned into his ear and seductively whispered, "That's a shame really because I was thinking for sure that after this, you might enjoy the sweet little _nothing_ that I'm wearing under my dress, but if not, I'll save it for another time."

Caterina made to stand and leave but suddenly his arms clamped around her like a vice. She had won, leaving Severus defeated before even beginning to fight. And like that, the tiramisu was finished in no time, with him begrudgingly admitting to actually enjoying it.

They sat, kissing on the couch while his hands worked their way up her bare legs and under her dress. Caterina pulled away and twisted around to straddle Severus' lap. He reached up to pull her face to his again but she gently pushed his hands back and lifted her dress up, gracefully slipping it off and tossing it to the floor. His eyes shot open wide at the sexy little piece she'd been hiding underneath. It was sheer with satin and lace work trimming around the edges and its soft turquoise color matched her eyes perfectly. The wispy material fitted most agilely around her breasts, tying shut between them and it hung down to just past her hips where her lush bottom was clad in a tiny matching panty.

Severus inhaled and exhaled sharply several times as his eyes rambled up and down her, not knowing where he wanted to start devouring her first. She could tell he was more than pleased with her choice.

Caterina had managed to unbutton and tug his shirt free while he sat positively gaping at her. Upon realizing that, he yanked it off and was about to carry her into the bedroom when she shook her head not to do so. Again he arched an eyebrow, though this time in curious excitement.

"Nope, we're staying right here," she whispered hotly into his ear as she reached for his pants.

With those soon gone, the last obstacle left for him was what she was wearing. He decided to depart from his usual and went to remove the panties first. She gave him a reproachful look, telling him that no ripping would be allowed. So instead, he tugged at the sides until she finally stood and they dropped to the floor. He was again about to stand, when she pushed him back down by a firm hand on his chest. Severus obliged and was quickly rewarded by having her crawl back up onto his lap. She held his gaze as she inched forward and ever so slowly settled herself down upon his eagerly waiting member. Severus had not been expecting that and sucked in a deep breath while she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

Severus couldn't believe how utterly turned on he was by watching Caterina ride up and down in his lap. His hands went to her hips first to urge her on as he met her with his own thrusts of arching slightly up off the couch. But when his black eyes fell again upon her breasts bouncing and being held back by only a thin ribbon, he began fondling and teasing them. Unable to take much more, he soon freed them so he could wholly enjoy them in his mouth. When he bit down on one of her perky nipples while pinching the other in his fingers, she threw her head back and let out a loud lustful moan. She moved her hands to his shoulders and gripped him tightly, digging her nails into him as they both started to increase their movements. Caterina arched her back as he grabbed both of her breasts, ravishing and squeezing them in his hands.

When she started panting wildly, he knew she was close, as was he. He grabbed at her hips once more and began vigorously thrusting against her. Sweet release came for them in a vivacious wave of wild screams and deep groans that left Severus stunned and unable to move. Entirely satisfied, Caterina collapsed against his chest. They remained that way until their breathing had somewhat returned to normal.

Once Severus found his voice again, he most fervently stated in a deep husky tone, "Amazing…. You were right, that was the best dessert ever."

Caterina laughed and kissed the tip of his prominent nose, her arms still securely looped around him. When he felt strong enough again, Severus carried her into the bedroom and together they slipped naked beneath the cool sheets, immediately wrapping around each other again. Caterina watched Severus' face in the dim light. He appeared to be staring at the ceiling, lost deep in thought.

Finally, she touched his face and asked, "What are you so deeply contemplating, Love?"

He was silent for a long moment until he turned toward her with a very mischievous grin that she could plainly read, even in the dark. "I was just planning our escape."

"Escape?" she questioned.

"Yes. I do not believe I can give you up, not even for a week, let alone several months. So I was deciding on where would be a nice dark and tucked away corner of the world to run away with you to and never come back."

Caterina chuckled, "That is a highly tempting proposal. And quite frankly, I'll willingly go anywhere in the world as long as you're there."

As she quickly passed into sweet dreaming sleep, Severus couldn't help but bitterly wish it were as simple and easy as escaping away from the impending battle like that, because he knew she'd honestly meant what she said.

* * *

A/N: Ahhh... escaping away together... it is a nice tempting dream... to bad about the harshness of reality though. I hope you have been enjoying the story! There's much more to come!


	30. Make My Heart a Better Place

**Chapter 30**

**Make My Heart a Better Place**

"Severus?"

Severus groaned softly in her ear as he felt her fingers lightly trailing up his thigh. "Yes, _Love_?"

"Do you think you'll want to keep teaching once this whole mess is over and done with?" Caterina asked.

"I've never really given it much thought, to tell the truth."

What Severus did not want to tell her was that he had always strongly believed he would never live to see the end of the war. He knew he absolutely refused to go down without a huge fight and, when it occurred, he'd long ago vowed to take any and every supporter of the Dark Lord with him. That was before he had met Caterina though. Since then, he had started to search out every possible variable in his quest that would best help shield him in his deception toward the Dark Lord. It had taken some time to recondition his mind, but soon his thoughts had turned into _when_ he would return to Caterina, instead of _if_.

She rolled around to face him now and he readjusted his grip on her. There was just something about the way her chestnut curls fell all about her head and bare shoulders that made her look utterly beautiful and quite angelic as she smiled up at him with her fiery blue eyes twinkling happily. He wanted to capture the moment and commit it to memory as much as he could, for he knew he'd soon be without her for many long and godforsaken months. All he would have to keep him warm through the long emptiness would be his memories of her, how she felt in his arms and against his skin.

Caterina started to reply but he silenced her with a finger to her lips, as his gleaming black eyes continued to take her loveliness in. Soon, his hands were caressing the soft, smooth skin of her face, attempting to memorize every inch of it with the gentle sweeping touch of his fingertips. She let out a small tranquil sigh as she started to mimic his touches on his face with her own sweet hands. The peaceful morning light grew around them, as did their pleasure in each other's tender touches.

As July's completion neared, a small fear grew in Severus' heart. He would be soon leaving Caterina and embarking on a perilous mission with the Dark Lord and many of his faithful followers. They were going to ambush the Order and Harry, as he was going to be transported to a new hiding place. Severus knew it was going to be a close and violent fight but, whatever the cost, he would need to ensure that Harry was not captured while not giving himself up as a traitor to Voldemort. He was also torn in knowing he'd be actually fighting now, openly, against the Order and on the wrong side. Many within the Order of the Phoenix would be ready and waiting to seek revenge on Severus for Dumbledore's death and his betrayal. Nevertheless, his duty was already mapped out for him years ago; he could not turn from it this late in the long-held charade.

Obviously Caterina did not take well to Severus telling her he'd be gone for several days. It did not matter how calm and controlled Severus was, Caterina always understood he was facing a most dangerous and potentially deadly risk each time he left her side. Especially when he was unable to give her an exact timeframe of when he'd return, other than telling her it should be less than a week. Ultimately, he knew she was scared, fearful that each time he left, he might not ever return and that she might never be given a reason as to why. Severus told her he refused to ever allow such a thing, although he knew that was a dangerous promise to make to her and possibly one that he would not be able to fulfill. He would fight through hell and back again to keep it.

Severus left almost a full day earlier than he needed to as he felt he required extra time to thoroughly shut away all his many thoughts and deep feelings involving Caterina. That was part of the essential key to playing his on-going Death Eater role. And when the time came to join the others in coming before Voldemort, his mask of deception was so firmly in place, that if she could have seen him, she would have thought him an entirely different man. One who was cold, heartless and without mercy toward anyone.

The raid went according to Severus' plans, though it had been devastatingly close to backfiring. Voldemort got excessively close to Harry and, for several long agonizing minutes, Severus perceived that he may actually have to intervene on Harry's behalf, thus serving his own death sentence to himself. In the end, the boy managed to scrape himself free and, just in time. Afterwards, the entire group was thoroughly punished by Voldemort back at Malfoy Manor.

Using extreme caution, Severus waited two more days before considering his return to the cottage. For once he had taken his leave of Malfoy Manor, Severus had the very distinct impression that someone, another Death Eater, was attempting to follow him and trace his whereabouts. There were several ideas he had as to who it might be, though he was quite positive that they were not acting on any orders from the Dark Lord. Severus put on a well-played show for them. After spending a short while at Spinner's End, he retreated to Hogwarts, knowing he could no longer be followed once there. He would need to take even more precautions at safe-guarding Caterina if he was being followed.

It was mid-afternoon when he quietly sneaked in the cottage's front door, to find Caterina standing in the kitchen, arms resting against the counter and staring out the window with a lost look heavy upon her face. Severus found himself suddenly overcome with a great need to fully posses her as soon as possible. He grabbed Caterina by her waist, spun her around, and without giving her any chance to react to his unexpected arrival, he had her pinned down on the kitchen floor.

Ferociously ripping at her clothes, he briefly caught the noticeable alarm in her eyes, causing him to freeze his actions instantly. He could not believe what he'd almost allowed himself to do and he fought internally not to give in entirely to his baser urges and raw emotions from the past few days amongst the vile Death Eaters. Severus knew he would never forgive himself if he hurt her in such a manner. She lay there, completely still and staring up at him warily for a few moments. Then suddenly she reached up and yanked his head back down to hers with a surprising desperation all her own.

Try as he might, it was still rather rough and pointedly urgent but Caterina responded back with her own demanding need, and soon she was begging him to take her harder. His hands groped her naked body frantically and with a forceful craving until he had to use one hand to press them back away from the cabinets that they were sliding toward as he pounded away. She moaned and screamed while writhing madly under him in a deep passion that was fueled by a fiercely savage lust. Severus was shocked as Caterina matched his uncontrollable desire with her own for him. Their frenzied union quickly peaked, bringing an absolute explosion of wild, mind-blowing release. It rolled through them both like a blazing fire, burning and boiling out of every pore in their bodies. And as it passed, they lay there on the cool floor, overwhelmed and shaking still as it took a while to completely dissipate. Gasping and panting, they clung to one another as if their very lives depended on never letting go of the other.

Finally, Caterina gave him a devilishly beautiful smile and whispered, "Hello."

He cocked a brow and with a small, impish grin, replied, "Hi."

"Oh Severus…."

"I know. Are- are you ok? I didn't… hurt you, did I?" he asked quietly with a dark shadow in his ebony eyes.

She stroked his cheek lovingly with the back of her hand, while shaking her head no. "Might be a little sore later, but no, you didn't hurt me, darling."

Severus couldn't help but wince at that thought even. "I'm sorry, my Love. I should have been more gentle, more careful..."

"Severus, I think I kind of asked for it, or, well, actually begged for it," she replied with a light chuckle. "And I'm pretty sure I enjoyed every bit of it just as much as you did. It was not unwelcomed, nor regrettable."

Finally smiling, he slowly ran a fingertip down her forehead and nose to rest it softly against her lips. She kissed it lightly, then pulled away to bury her head in his chest and lay a soft hand over his heart. There was no doubt within him that Caterina had completely stolen his heart and made it a much better place because of her love now.

* * *

As August crept along, Severus found Caterina becoming even more emotional and passionate in their lovemaking. He himself found it harder to leave her side for any length of time, no matter how short. And his cravings for her grew stronger by the moment. There was no holding back now when it hit him. He'd wake her up in the middle of the night or haul her away from the dinner table, meal unfinished, in a bid to help satisfy it all. She was always ecstatically eager and willing to give herself to him, anytime and anywhere the desire and need arose. For they both knew their long separation was just around the corner and that it would make life most unbearable for them both while it lasted.

Severus pushed the limits of staying with her to the ultimate. He knew he should be presenting himself at Hogwarts any day now as Voldemort was quickly and skillfully aligning each new player in his power-hungry and deadly game to take everything over. The Minister of Magic was killed at the beginning of August and all new puppets were being put into place. However, the news of him becoming headmaster would be held in secret until the last moment, so that most Wizarding families would not have the chance to whisk their children into hiding and away from entering Hogwarts before the start of term.

There was no possible option other than to take his new position at Hogwarts. He racked his brain in an effort to figure out how to leave Caterina in a somewhat befitting manner. Oddly enough, he settled upon using something he'd never thought he would have need of in his entire life, but somehow now it seemed perfectly fitting. And it would be simple enough to do, with wondrous effectiveness.

Returning after a few hours absence near mid-August, Severus quietly watched as Caterina finished cooking their dinner for that evening. Once he'd lit the candles on the table and selected an expensive bottle of wine, Severus discreetly added a tiny vial of clear potion to it. Then he poured two glasses for them. She took hers and gave her approval of his choice through several heated kisses. Quickly he downed his glass of wine and filled it again while Caterina was happily bubbling about, setting the table. When her glass was empty, he refilled it as well. Severus could not take his eyes off her as she sat down beside him.

The rush was intense and unbelievable from extreme lust that was consuming him. So much for dinner. He didn't know if he'd ever needed and wanted her as much as he did moment. Staring into Caterina's vivid blue eyes, he could see the need and want reflecting back out at him. Severus wanted her in every way imaginable. With barely a thought, he swiftly lifted her out of her chair and carried her into the living room. Her graceful hands were already seeking to remove his clothes. Half tangled in their clothes, they made wild, passionate love on the couch. And once they were completely free of all garments, they enjoyed each other again on the rug in front of the fireplace.

It wasn't nearly enough to even come close to putting out the raging fire of lust and love that they both felt. Another idea came to him and he silkily whispered what he wanted into her ear as he swept her into his arms and carried her up the stairs to their room. Caterina smiled seductively and climbed upon the bed on her knees, stopping when she grasped hold of the intricately woven pattern of the wrought iron headboard. Severus joined up behind her and, before she could look over her shoulder at him, he was thrusting away into her heavenly sweet place. Moaning Caterina leaned forward and arched herself back toward him. It was simply divine and crazy, the lust that was engulfing them both.

At first, his masterful hands locked around hers to hold the ironwork of the headboard but they quickly made their way up to grope hold of her bouncing breasts while they rode up and down together. Caterina was all he craved and the need was all but insatiable as he continued to please her, deeply thrusting in and out. Severus fought hard not to give into his release before she reached the pinnacle of her own lust. It wasn't long before she was close, and he drove on, pushing them right over the edge into pure ecstasy together. Panting and gasping intensely, she collapsed back into his strong arms. In sweet silence they continued to explore each other with their hands and mouths as the all-consuming passion had not nearly been quenched through their second or even third ardent joining of bodies.

It wasn't long before Severus took her again and Caterina enjoyed every second of it, matching his movements and expressing her own loving desires for him in every way she could. Afterwards, they lay still, wrapped in each other's arms across the white bed with its satin sheets awry, allowing their bodies time to cool down. Severus kept his black eyes locked on his love, attempting to commit each and every little detail of her to his memory. Her blue eyes stayed trained on him as appeared that she was doing the same of him.

"You're about to leave aren't you?" she quietly asked him, finally breaking the silence, as her body tensed against his, scared of his answer.

"Yes. Soon. All too soon." he whispered painfully as he rolled her over to lie on top of him.

Severus could see her fighting tears for a few moments until unexpectedly she brought her mouth to his, kissing him impassioned urgency and a crushing determination. From that act alone, he found himself unable to form any coherent thoughts other than the thought of having her at least once more.

"I love you, Severus. I can't bear to lose you." She whimpered softly into his ear with her smooth cheek brushed lightly to his, allowing him to now feel the wetness of her flowing tears.

Reaching up, he tenderly ran his hand through her long curls before gently holding the back of her head while his other hand pressed firmly and lovingly to her cheek. It was a rare moment where Severus could not bring himself to wipe away her hot tears as he felt them washing over his own despairing soul.

"You're not going to lose me, my sweet and only _Love_. I will come back to you as soon as it's humanly possible. And, above all else, I have no doubt that it will be less than a year that we have to be apart, even," he said soothingly, trying his best to reassure Caterina, as well as allay his own fears.

Closing her eyes, she swallowed hard. "You promise Severus?"

"Yes, I promise you, I _will_ be back and we _will_ spend the rest of- " he stopped, unsure of how to finish.

"The rest of each and every tomorrow together?" Caterina softly finished for him.

His dark eyes glinted excitedly at that as he asked, "Is that what you truly want?"

Despite her tears, Caterina beamed at him and gave a laugh. "Yes, Severus, it is what I want. More than anything. I thought that should be crystal-clear to you by now. There's no one else I ever want to be with… just you and _only _you. "

At that heartfelt honesty, Severus found himself grinning with a rare happiness. A happiness that only Caterina Clarkstone had ever brought to him.

Gradually, she calmed herself and they made love once more, this time achingly slow, full of intense fervor and sensual passion. Later, as Caterina slept peacefully in his arms, he watched over her. To him, she was perfection. Severus prayed and hoped against everything sacred that it would not be the last time his black eyes beheld her sweet beauty nor the last time he would feel her love pouring out over him, quenching his soul and feeding his once empty heart.

When the first light of morning bleed across the dark sky, he ever so gently untangled himself from his sleeping beauty and dressed. With several added protective spells for her precious safety, Severus slipped the locket back around her elegant neck. One last long drink of taking in her glorious naked body, and he carefully pulled the sheets up to her shoulders, ardently kissing every bit of her sweet face while caressing her silky smooth skin.

With a flick of his wand, a long-stemmed and shimmery white rose appeared on the pillow next to her head, tied with a thin red satin ribbon that held a note. Then after another long, tormented and agonizing moment of eternity, Severus Snape forced himself to tear his gaze away from his only Love and leave her, carrying within his heart the fighting and burning fire of hope. Hope to one day return and see her again, hope to hold her again in his arms and the fervent hope to never ever leave her side again.

Caterina awoke late in the morning. Before she even opened her eyes, she sensed that he was gone. Gone and not to return until it was all over. She felt cold and fearful. Something she never felt when his presence was there with her. Hesitantly she opened her blue to release the stinging tears, as they mounted their escape one right after the other. Her clouded gaze fell upon the empty pillow beside her and, wrapping the sheets around her, she struggled to sit up, delicately taking the white rose he'd left her into her hands. The tears fell faster and harder still, for a long while, as she held the soft petals against her lips and inhaled its light aromatic scent.

It was a long time until she was able to even half way calm herself but, once she did, she noticed the rolled up note tied to the rose's stem. Seeing it caused a sob to break free from her chest. As carefully as she could, she untied it and proceeded to unroll its contents. And expectedly, her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Severus' small and quaint handwriting.

_"Caterina,_

_My sweet Love, please try to understand why I left you the way I did, knowing that doing so in any other fashion would have been much harder on us both. There was really no easy way to do such but spending hours trying to say goodbye would have been much worse to endure. I promise you, I will do my utmost to stay safe and return to you as soon as I can. I'm more than ready for this long battle to be over and to settle down into something much different and happier. I never believed I could have any sort of real happiness in my life until you walked into it. Thank you for not walking out or giving up on me during my stubborn times, though I know I greatly deserved for you to do so. My every move is being closely watched from this point onward, so do not dare send anything to me as it could be traced back to you. I refuse to have you in any danger because of me. _

_Know this, I will have you in my arms again, for you are my one and only Love. Enjoy the rose; it is uniquely special and one of a kind, just like you._

_Severus"_

Caterina read and reread his note in between her cascading tears. She did not like how he'd left but she did understand. If he had not done it that way, she would have desperately fought him, clinging to him for hours before he'd have been able to pry her free. It would have been far more ugly and crushing to go through, so he'd chosen the better option.

Gently, Caterina twirled the rose between her fingers until she noticed that it had a soft shimmery sparkle to it. Was that what he meant? She carefully rubbed at a petal with her finger, but the shimmer did not come off. It was as if the rose had grown and bloomed that way on it's own. Never had she seen or heard of such a variety and she wondered as to how long the rose would last. It had already been without water for several hours but showed no signs of wilting in the slightest.

Unable to move, Caterina lay there cradling the rose and his note to her chest for several hours before she could even start to figure out just how she was going to face these coming months. Somehow, she would have to overcome the main fear that often left her feeling smothered and gasping for air - that she would never see Severus alive again. No! She refused to think those thoughts. Severus was going to make it. He had to. He had promised.

* * *

The first month after Severus' leaving passed gruelingly slow. Caterina thought there were moments she was going to go out of her mind, with nothing to do, at least nothing of any real consequence. Even sleep seemed to elude her on many a night and she grew more restless. She desperately needed to occupy her time with anything but nothing drew her interest. At times, she would try to relax herself and practice ballet, but it made her feel almost sick to do so anymore. Pulling out her old favorites from her book collection didn't help either as they all seemed too familiar to captivate her attention any longer.

One afternoon, late in September, Caterina sat puzzling over her general disinterest in everything. Before, when Severus had been gone, she did well with passing the time in between each cherished visit. From a young age, Caterina had always been able to entertain herself with whatever she put her mind toward. Now she guessed the difference was in knowing that it would be months until she would see him again. And knowing that there could be no contact of any kind almost sought to bring about a growing depression in her. Cat knew she had to push on past it, as she hated the way it caused her to feel. She'd been through worse and this was only to be a temporary absence, long but temporary. It would end eventually and she could make it through to the other side of being reunited with Severus.

As she sat on the couch one evening later that week, a random thought came out of nowhere and hit her with a stunning revelation. There was no way it could be, but yet it all suddenly made perfect sense. She jumped up, grabbed her purse and keys, heading for her car. Her heart raced double-time as she nearly flew out the drive and down the road.

Less than an hour later, she was back home again, just as stunned as before. She was sitting crossed legged on the bedroom floor. The first two had said _yes_ and, although they were unnecessary, there were two more left to use. Within an hour, those two confirmed their _yeses_ as well. Yet she sat there in shock, wondering if she needed more but knowing in all actuality one had been enough and that the three extra had more than sufficed in telling her what she needed to know - Caterina Clarkstone was indeed pregnant. When had _that _happened? She certainly knew the _how_, just not the _when_. Had it been even during their wildly and passionate last night together? Caterina felt her cheeks blushing brightly and a sweet smile upon her lips as she thought back upon their insatiable lust for each other that night. It had been utterly amazing and so wonderful.

Now Caterina knew exactly how she would be passing the time, she only wondered as to whether Severus would return before or after their little bundle of joy would announce its presence to the world. Either way, Severus would be in for a shock, that was for sure. It had been one thing they had never thought to discuss. But it was almost inevitable that it would happen eventually as they'd never once given any thought to taking precautions against such happenings. Not once in three months time had they stopped to think about the ramifications of their incessant lovemaking. In addition, never once during that time had anything interrupted them, as she had never been regular. Many times, she'd gone several months without a period, and so it being absent during their only time together had been actually very welcoming. And falsely deceiving in the comfort of it not being present, though she chuckled at the thought.

Caterina realized that she now felt a fast growing excitement within herself. It was replacing all of her boredom, her fears and her loneliness with a large sense of hopefulness and eager anticipation. She had never had an outright desire to have a baby but suddenly, now that one was coming, she greatly welcomed the idea. There would be so much to do in preparation and she was going to enjoy every minute of it.

Reaching up to the nightstand, she grasped the shimmery white rose. It had not faded or withered in the tiniest bit. Caterina absently rolled it between her fingers as she mused about this new development. As much as she was absolutely exploding to tell Severus immediately that he was going to be a daddy, she kind of liked the idea of it being a total surprise for him as well. '_Daddy_,' she snickered to herself. Caterina knew full well it would be a large concept that would take Severus forever to wrap his brain around.

Caterina felt her heart beginning to feel less burdened with worry over Severus and starting to grow to encompass her love for this tiny little life now growing inside of her. Many times, it simply amazed her to think that, through their love, they had created a whole new life. Caterina started to settle into a relative peace about Severus' safe return and the joys that it would bring to have him back.

Jamison took the news extremely well, with a resounding, _'It's about time' _and then he engulfed her in a giant bear hug, lifting her off the ground, only to quickly release her again, suddenly fearful that he may have hurt her. She reassured him that there wasn't really much there to hurt yet and that everything was fine. The hard part was explaining Severus' lack of knowledge and absence. Cat carefully walked a long tightrope in what she told him. She herself did not really know enough to go into detail. In the end, Cat wondered if she had overdone it though, as Jamison seemed to be under the impression of Severus being something akin to the fictional however immortal James Bond. It was all rather amusing, and so she decided to just let it go while Jamison continued to mutter things such as _'That really explains a lot' _and _'No wonder he acts the way he does, so careful, quiet, and always alert'_.

Jamison, of course, was more than willing to escort Caterina to her doctor's visits. Due to the trauma of her past issues and regardless of her current healthy status, they still considered her pregnancy to be high risk. Caterina hated that but knew it was for the best. She felt great most days and would drag Jamison on many baby-shopping excursions. Cat did not buy much, but rather wanted to collect lots of ideas before she made her decisions on purchases. And she wanted to wait for many of the items until she found out the sex of their baby. Already though, deep down, she had a strangely strong feeling it was going to be a sweet little boy, one with dark hair and dark eyes, just like his tall, dark and handsome daddy.

* * *

A/N: Oh my! I'd pay handsomely to see his expression at being told he was going to be a 'daddy', wouldn't you? Priceless! But well, he should know, it takes two as they say... :) Now we just need them both to make it through the next few months while avoiding any and all dangers! Hmmmm… now the chances of that actually happening?

Chapter title inspired from the song _All I Need _by Within Temptation.

I can't say thank you enough to everyone- new readers and to those who have been faithfully following along, reading about Cat and Sev! And to those of you who share a comment or two here and there - it's a huge part of what helps in keeping me so motivated in getting each chapter finished and posted as soon as I can! I'm thrilled that ya'll are so eager to keep up.


	31. Without You, It's Hard to Survive

**Chapter 31**

**Without You, It's Hard to Survive**

For Caterina, October went much better than she had expected it to. Now with the happy distraction of the baby, she found herself not so much focused on the fact that Severus was gone but rather focused on getting ready for his return. There was just a deep, joyous feeling in her heart that told her he would definitely return to her now. It may be a long while yet, be she was positive Severus would make it through the school year unscathed and alive. After all, he had promised and Severus had always kept his promises to her.

The doctor gave her due date as May eighth. It seemed so far away but Cat believed there was a very strong possibility that Severus might be back by then, and just in time. She thought she could handle getting through being alone and pregnant for the next few months with the help of Jamison and Ellie. The former housekeeper had always been quite motherly, and she had now taken to visiting Caterina almost every day, assisting her in any way that she could. It was all going smoothly, however, giving birth alone, without Severus there - that idea positively scared her.

One chilly Saturday morning, early in October, found Cat sitting in bed, flipping through a posh baby magazine, checking over the latest fashions and trends. Some of the nursery themes were just plain hideous, while others were dripping with overbearing saccharine sweetness. She wanted the baby's nursery to be sweet yet simple and not over done and busy with the vibrantly bold colors and wild patterns that appeared to be all the rage at the moment. Cat still found herself drawn toward the baby boy designs, convinced as ever that they would be having a son. Glancing over at a framed picture of Severus and her on the nightstand, she giggled knowing that most of the designs he would probably find revolting, though he'd never be quick to voice his complaint of anything that she might pick out.

Staring at his picture filled her with a deep wistful longing for several long moments and all thoughts of the baby left her. Caterina chuckled while thinking back at getting Severus to even pose for that picture. It hadn't been easy making him agree, and took a lot of coaxing on her part, during the previous Christmas, but it had come out rather sweet and she'd had a tiny copy made to put in her locket that she never removed now. Cat had also placed several copies of the picture all throughout the cottage so she could see him in every room.

It was later, the following week when Caterina ventured to London with Jamison to meet with one of her regular doctors. He'd wanted to run a few more follow up tests just to double-check everything regarding her lungs. Other than a slight headache from time to time and a bit of tiredness some days, she had been feeling great. Apart from that, she didn't seem to be extremely bothered by much morning sickness. The doctor gave her another highly favorable report and then thrilled Caterina by finding the baby's heartbeat for her and letting her listen to it before leaving. That served to solidify her pregnancy for her and she positively glowed over it.

Still beaming from ear to ear, she and Jamison strode along the busy sidewalk, heading to a favorite café for lunch. They were strolling along, discussing where she wanted to go shopping afterwards, when they both heard a familiar voice, calling out from behind them. Briefly, she closed her eyes in irritation but she knew in her heart he could not make her angry this time, though, as she stopped and turned, Jamison muttered a low curse and tightened his grasp around her arm.

"Caterina Clarkstone! Now that's a lovely sight for my overworked eyes! And to smashing good to see you again, Jamison."

Caterina smiled cheerfully while discreetly elbowing the scowl off Jamison's face at the unwelcomed sight of Porter Kingston. "Hello King. How have you been?"

"Fine, utterly swamped with work but I shouldn't complain much as it pays the bills." King gave a cocky shrug of his shoulders and winked at her before continuing. "You in London for long? Maybe we could have dinner?"

"Just aren't willing to give up are you?" Caterina mused, her blue eyes twinkling merrily.

"Well it's not often that a king stumbles upon a such a wondrous queen, you know, so _no_, I won't. Besides," he paused raking his brown eyes over her, "I see no signs of a claim already having been made."

King's smug retort ended as he scanned her hands for a telltale ring. Quite unsuccessfully Jamison disguised his abrupt snorting and snickering fit as a sort of nasty sounding hacking cough.

"Hmm, true, but if you were to hang around long enough, you certainly would soon be aware of a glaringly obvious one," Caterina replied calmly, her smile undimmed.

"Really? And what's that?" King folded his arms to his chest and leaned against the brick building.

Caterina gave her tummy a loving little rub and smirked up at him, "A baby. The chemistry is completely perfect, you see."

There was complete silence before King began to stumble rather sheepishly over his words, as he stood gaping at that revelation. "Hmm…ahhh, well then… I guess I should wish you and Mr. Science guy all the best and, ahh… a hearty congratulations."

Caterina nodded sweetly. "Thank you."

King stood staring for a long awkward moment, appearing to grow strangely angry before he abruptly said good-bye and turned on his heel, leaving in a huff. Caterina stood, watching his hasty retreat, feeling shocked at his sudden change in demeanor. He usually handled himself with much better poise and charm when faced with an unexpected situation. Hopefully that would be the very last of him now and she decided not to waste any more time over him. He was certainly not going to ruin her day or her happiness.

* * *

She hated it and she hated him. She hated every bit of what was about to happen. Nevertheless, there was not a single blazing thing that she could do about it. Nothing but wait for a chance, an opportunity to present itself, one that she could manipulate to her own advantage. And she could protect them, all of them to the best of her abilities. Moreover, she would watch him, his every move as much as she was able. Even if it cost her life, she would give it to hinder any further evilness. For Minerva McGonagall refused to let that traitorous Severus Snape bring torment and death within the walls of Hogwarts. Never, not under her watch. She vowed to scrutinize his every move and she quietly invoked the aid of several other professors as well as some of the most trusted portraits throughout the castle. Minerva also worked tirelessly to continue carrying on the passing of information within the Order members still at Hogwarts and those outside.

Implicit trust she had always given to Snape, following after Dumbledore's example. Though he was never social nor remotely what one would deem as friendly, she'd always held a mutual respect for him but now that Snape had gone and finished off the man who put too much confidence in him, she would not give him anything but trouble and a whole school full of it.

Minerva had spent most of the summer at Hogwarts and was ever surprised at how, in her many talks with Dumbledore's portrait, he always skirted any discussion of Snape. She didn't know whether to attribute it to his pride still smarting from being wrong about his favored Potions Master or if he were just unable to talk about the blatant outright betrayal yet. Either way it didn't matter as she felt a growing foreboding concerning the entire matter and to how it all would end in the not so distant future.

The terrible situation felt vividly surreal with the arrival of the cruel Carrow siblings, who would be taking over as teachers. It was also no secret that they would likewise serve as extra eyes for Voldemort inside the walls of Hogwarts. Dealings with them was a greatly added hindrance, and it was their continued vicious treatment of the students that brought Minerva to the headmaster's office late one evening in November. Seeing Snape leave the grounds, she intended to accost and implore Dumbledore's painting for any possible strategies in battling against Carrows.

During her rather heated exchange that she'd engaged the former headmaster in, Minerva suddenly felt the bristly presence of another person. Whirling around with her wand drawn, she came face to face with the hauntingly pale visage of Severus Snape. He stood, arms folded across his chest, smirking at her in his usual sneer. He'd returned far sooner than she'd expected and, though a small wave of dread passed through her, she held her head high and kept her forceful glare indignant at him.

Severus let out a low hiss, then surprised her by ignoring her entirely and addressing Dumbledore. "There may be an unwelcomed issue. From everything I have gathered, one may have split away from the group and not on amicable terms."

"Hmm… so he did leave like I suspected he might do all along," Dumbledore replied, giving a long contemplative stare over his tiny glasses. "Well, he has in his possession the means to return when he sorts out his own personal matters of contention. And speaking of contention, Minerva here was just sharing her own, regarding the offensive Carrows. It sounds as if they need to be reigned in, Severus, before a student pays most dearly for supposedly crossing them."

Snape, shooting a pithy glare at Minerva, silently rounded the desk and sat with an uncomfortable ease behind it. "What would you have me do? Scold them, so they can run, tattling of my sudden and unexplained softness to the Dark Lord? There are only so many hands that even I can play at once. And as it is, my movements are still being traced and followed at times."

Dumbledore sadly nodded in agreement, while catching the dumbfounded look upon Minerva's wrinkled face. Never had she expected to witness this sort of open banter between the two before her and her mind was reeling at the implications.

"Yes, yes… work it out now, why don't you, old girl," chuckled Dumbledore.

A glance at Snape showed him rolling his fathomless black eyes at that comment, while resting his hand upon what appeared to be a little brown trinket of sorts, cylindrical in nature. He palmed it and rolled it between his long white fingers several times before setting it down again, gentle tapping one finger upon its top, in an oddly tender manner. Once released into full view, she recognized it as being a cork stopper from a wine bottle.

"But- why? How? Potter _saw_-" she quickly accused before stopping just as abruptly.

"What young Harry witnessed was indeed fully correct. However, all was not as it actually wholly appeared. Severus only did so at my bidding, to save another soul from falling victim to Tom's madness. Of course, you should instantly be able to work out why it's utterly imperative to hide such information so completely, to point of appearing treacherous, Minerva. No one could know beforehand for the obvious reasons, as well as afterward."

The old headmaster paused, giving a small chuckle again as the familiar bit of sparkle graced his eyes for a brief moment. "And now, Minerva, this is where _you_ must decide _your_ choice upon the whole matter as well. Do you want to continue in this knowledge and aid Severus as much as possible or would you rather continue on _blissfully ignorant, _as some say?"

She stood stock still, her mind flying and inspecting all aspects of this new, stunning revelation. Each and every angle that she took lead to logic over it and the puzzle made sense, though it still left her with many questions. And at once, she stumbled into what a harsh burden Dumbledore had tossed upon Snape's shoulders and his shoulders alone. For, through it, he stood entirely alone, cut off from anyone who could even possibly understand and was cursed by everyone who once trusted him on the Order side. That alone pushed him headlong and deeper still, into the compounding danger and death-ridden side of the Dark Lord. Minerva found herself studying his pale, expressionless face, seeing it finally as a carefully placed mask for all those around him to observe and believe.

Immediately, she made her choice. "How can I best help? Should I start by informing the rest of the Order of the truth?"

"Absolutely not!" spat Snape.

"He's absolutely right, unfortunately. It would do no good for that information to make its way beyond these very walls," came Dumbledore's grave sounding reply.

It was then that Minerva took a sweeping glance around the entire office, realizing for the first time with a keen eye, that every portrait, save Dumbledore's, had been concealed and bound magically against seeing or hearing anything that was currently happening within. Every possible precaution had been taken against the tiniest slip of information. Then she fully understood what would be expected of her, in the same regards - she would also be magically bound to keep her silence on the matter.

Severus actually took a small comfort in the fact that McGonagall, at last, knew the truth. He felt a tiny relief in knowing he was no longer alone, and especially at Hogwarts. Once the spell had been preformed and she swept out of the office with a renewed diligence, he was left to his private thoughts. His musings began to wonder into the only comfort he knew: Caterina. What was she doing? How was she fairing through this long absence? His weary heart sorely missed her and it pained him far greater than he'd ever expected it to. Closing his eyes, Severus silently cursed his terrible predicament in life. The horrible heartache she must be going through over their long separation had to be at least as strong as his. And knowing how passionately she lived, it was probably taking an even greater toll on her.

There were times when he fought the compellingly strong urge to go to her, ready to throw aside all caution. Even just to see her, to hold her for a brief minute would soothe him. However, each time the dangerous thought took shape in his heart, his mind instantly knocked it loose with the dire logic and heinous consequences such an act would unleash. Severus could never dare to entertain such a foolish notion as, several times, when he took leave of the castle, he was quickly alerted through his own cunning use of spells to the fact that someone attempting to tail him. There were a select few among the Death Eaters who personally questioned his true loyalty and Severus had several plausible ideas as to who could be following him. Knowing it would lead to nowhere of real interest, he never wasted the time by stopping to investigate.

Candidly sitting back in his chair, his long bony fingers picked up the cork. Its true sentimental worth could only be known to him and holding it tightly within his fist, Severus rested his forehead upon it. Waiting would not be easy, but he had to protect his precious Caterina and he could only do that by staying as far away as possible until this ended. Once it did, and if he survived, Severus would return to his Love, never to leave her again for anything.

* * *

It was the first week of December. Caterina could barely contain her excitement. By Christmas, she would be able to learn if they would be welcoming a sweet baby boy or a girl into their lives. That alone kept a joyous smile firmly planted across her rosy lips. Recently, she'd found herself cooing over so much darling baby girl themes and clothes that she considered recasting her vote for the baby being a girl, though ultimately she knew she'd be completely delighted either way.

Awaking early one morning, she dealt with a growing bit of nausea and a sharp headache. Jamison would be stopping by in a little while to go over some information regarding the sale of the mansion. There had been many inquiries but only several tangible offers. As she stretched out her legs, she accidentally kicked Widget, who, in the past few weeks, had taken to sleeping at the foot of her bed each night. It had been an odd but welcomed change in the fluffy black cat. Maybe it was a sign that she was finally mellowing out after all the years of hiding herself from everyone. Either that or she'd simply despised the large size of the mansion, and now found the smaller confides of the cottage better suited to her liking.

Caterina waited for the nausea to pass and gradually made her way to shower and ready herself. Taking a long leisurely shower, hot water worked to relieve most of the headache pains. Soon she dressed and ate a small breakfast, glad that the nausea appeared to have dissipated for the day. Then Cat spent time snuggled on the couch, flipping through a baby guide while awaiting Jamison.

When the doorbell rang, she jumped up way too fast and had to steady herself for a long moment. Caterina stepped into hall, though, the headache returned with a brilliant vengeance, bringing dizziness, and causing her to quickly sink again into the nearest armchair.

Caterina later awoke in a strange place. She was lying on something soft but it was bright, too bright and she didn't like the smell. She felt oddly groggy and weak. With great effort, she slowly forced her eyes open, causing them to tear up over the strong bright lights. Nothing felt right about where she was and she felt a sudden stabbing fear ebbing within her. Caterina protectively brought a hand up in front of her stomach. Hearing a noise to her left side, she turned her head, continuing the struggle to fully open her eyes. Slowly, she started to make out someone and that someone stood as they placed a strong hand over hers.

"Caterina? How do you feel?" asked a voice.

Caterina recognized it and immediately felt some relief. "Jamison?"

"Yes."

"Where-where am I?" she asked in a frightened whisper before waiting through a long silence until hearing him roughly clear his throat.

"What do you remember, Cat?" Jamison gently questioned.

"Ahhh… my head throbbing and feeling… feeling really dizzy… oh, I was trying to answer the door but I don't, I don't think I made it, did I?" Caterina furrowed her brow in confusion.

"No, no you didn't, sweetie."

"Jamison, what's wrong? What happened and what are you not telling me?" she pleaded.

His hand squeezed tightly around hers and he took a long deep breath. "Cat honey, you're in the hospital. They worked as hard and as fast as they could but… it wasn't enough."

"No!" she whispered vehemently. "No!"

Caterina wrenched her hand free of his and put both of them on her stomach. Everything felt all wrong, like something was missing. Missing and leaving her oddly hollow inside. "The baby?"

"It just couldn't be stopped. They tried everything. I'm so very sorry, Caterina. From what I'm understanding, there seemed to be a huge issue between your blood and the baby's. Something very rare and that was never picked up on before even when they tested for such disorders. I'm so sorry, Caterina."

Caterina closed her eyes and turned her head away as silent tears flowed freely down both cheeks. _How_? How could this have happened? And why? Just when she had truly fallen in love with the idea of having a baby - their baby, like never before. Nothing could come close to making any of this better but Severus. Why couldn't he be there? Where was he? She needed him now, more than ever before. His absence was beginning to hurt on every level and the pain cut deeper with each passing moment.

She had to spend one more night in the hospital before Jamison could take her home. He stayed with her as much as work allowed him the freedom. Having him around brought a small bit of familiar comfort, for Caterina did not think she could handle being alone and she knew she could depend on him to stay as long as she needed him to. Jamison was the only person who knew her best, and in some ways better than even Severus knew her.

The next few weeks were hard and Cat felt like she was just coasting along through them, barely managing to exist within it all. Her world had come crashing down around her, yet again, in a wholly unbelievable manner. She fought to make the best of it and to embrace the idea of Severus' return but even that began to fade away from her into what seemed like only a fancy dream. Caterina struggled to fight the fear but it grew deeper and stronger with each lonely day that passed her by. She fought to keep her head at least above it all. The dream of Severus returning was all she had now to get her motivated about much of anything and she could not give that up, no matter what else might happen.

Jamison saw to clearing out the once eagerly anticipated baby room. She'd started to collect a few items and several pieces of baby furniture. It now stood empty, clothed in its new soft green coloring. He watched over Cat like a hawk but kept his questioning and concerns to a minimum.

When she started sleeping in the smallest guest room, though, he wondered about seeking additional help. He finally questioned her and he pieced together from her broken reply that she needed a break from the overwhelming memories of her and Severus sharing the other room together. Being in their room with his presence so strongly absent was tantamount to pure heartbreak for her. Usually it brought a comfort, being where they'd spent time, but now it seemed empty and hollow without him there, almost foreign and she could not bear it.

* * *

Christmas at Hogwarts was the grimmest it had ever been in living memory. The chilling and cruel tactics of the Carrows were advancing into the lowest forms of depravity. Just before Christmas, the increasing and disturbing events led to Severus having to interfere with the abominable plans of Amycus Carrow as he'd discovered the vile Death Eater attempting to detain a seventh year girl late into the night. After a quick stab into the brutal oaf's mind, he knew he'd barely arrived in time. Severus found himself quite repulsed over the lewd images he found in his search. Amycus was planning to rape the girl and that was just the beginning of his plan. Severus sent the girl back to her common room straight away before he laid into Amycus.

Amycus glared before letting out a bellowing snarl. "What did you do that for? I was 'bout to have a bit of well-deserved fun for the holidays," he sharply bit at Severus. "Just because _you_ appear so properly reserved and uptight, and without any need to have a good lay every now and again, don't mean the rest of us are. Tell me you haven't taken a few of these pretty young bitches to your own bed anyways. Bet you've plenty of potions to make'em forget what ever happened. "

Severus wanted nothing more than curse the pathetic creature standing in front of him but he held his rage in check. "Patience will have the greatest reward, Carrow. When this is over, the Dark Lord may allow you your pick of pure-blood witches from the school as he will seek to propagate our world again, ridding it of all those unworthy. However, until then, keep your filthy wandering hands to yourself. The last thing we need is a castle full of scared, traumatized girls, spreading the word of your unwelcome actions upon them."

Pausing, he slowly took a step closer, allowing his taller stature to tower imposingly over Amycus. "The Dark Lord will not want them all tainted by only your filthy hands before the proper time." Severus continued low, his words laced with dramatic emphasis. "Though it's entirely _you _who shall take on his wrath alone for it if you attempt to take such a matter into your own hands. I would suggest that you would do better off heading out to a brothel if you can't contain your… urges for the time being."

Carrow's small beady eyes gleamed in gross delight at that thought and Severus was sure the scum would begin compiling a list of which girls he wanted at the end of the year. It was apparent that he understood and was afraid of doing anything to incur wrath from Voldemort before that time. Severus was thoroughly disgusted at the whole situation and carefully placed several hidden wards around Carrow's chambers and classroom to alert him if any more dubious actions were to come about.

Upon returning to the headmaster's office, he collapsed into the nearest chair, heavy with exhaustion. Severus had not been resting his eyes for very long when Phineas' portrait suddenly spoke, stating that he had finally discovered an exact location as to the whereabouts of Harry Potter and company.

Dumbledore quickly gave direction of what he needed to now do. Severus sprang into action and left the castle completely concealed from everything and anyone. Using a combination of several complex spells he was quickly pointed in the direction of where Harry was magically camouflaged in the woods. Exploring the surrounding area, Severus discovered a small frozen pool and it would work perfect for what he needed to do. Using advanced magic, he placed the Sword of Gryffindor at the bottom and went off to complete the rest of his plan. Hidden a few hundred yards from Harry, he cast his Patronus. It stood before him, in a murky haze of shallow silver light with its normal shape greatly obscured. There was something very wrong with his attempt. Had he lost his grasp on all of his positive thoughts and happiness?

He forced his concentration to the maximum, conjuring joyous memories of his Caterina and, after two more attempts, he finally produced his fully corporeal doe. Severus stared after it, taking note that it was no longer as thrilling a sight as it had once been for him so many years ago, though he was still eager and willing to see his duty through to the end.

Wearily, Severus returned to the castle after ensuring the successful retrieval of the sword by Harry. Bitterness overtook his thoughts as he lay upon his bed, cursing the day he'd ever first learned about Voldemort and the fateful day he'd decided to tread down the path to become one of his followers. Just before he dropped off to sleep, his mind brought him back to the only bright spot against all the darkness and he hoped that the end would lead him back into the bright comforting light of Caterina.

* * *

A/N: *wipes tears away with a looong despairing sigh* I do apologize for the terribly sad chapter, but things always happen for a reason, or at least in this situation they do. Poor Caterina is having to cope with this all alone while Severus is dealing with the growing problems in what lies ahead of them all.


	32. Unholy Pain Leads to Darkness

**Chapter 32**

**Unholy Pain Leads to Darkness**

Jamison pulled the car into the mansion's long drive. He surveyed Cat out of the corner of his eye. It had taken months, but at long last she was finally beginning to look better. Still not extremely happy, by any means, as she rarely smiled or laughed in a real and carefree manner the way she used to, yet there was a noticeable improvement upon her face. He'd accept it, no matter how small it was. Jamison knew it was still going to take a very long time for her to completely heal, as she dealt with all that had happened. At times, he couldn't help but wonder, in a small way, if Caterina had been right that day, so long ago, when she declared she was cursed. It was a crazy thought, though, and he always banished it immediately. More than anything, he understood that most of her sadness was due to her being so worried over Severus' absence.

If he could get his hands on Severus for being gone so long without contact and leaving such a horrid mess in his absence, Jamison would surely give him a piece of his mind. There would most definitely be words between them if and when Severus ever came back. For Caterina's sake, he certainly hoped the man did, for she never seemed to give up hoping and believing that he would. Just the mere mention of his name seemed to soothe Cat to some degree many times. He didn't care what the man might be involved in at this point, it was completely wrong to leave one's love in such a way with not one shred of contact for months.

As he slowed to a stop in front of the large white, columned front porch, he saw Lesley Jones, the realtor, standing by her car, talking animatedly with a tall, friendly looking gentleman. The buyer, Kent Davidson, had made it on time after all. Jamison was quite grateful for that, knowing that it would be better for Caterina to get through this appointment in a timely manner.

"Are you positive you don't need me to stay, Cat?" Jamison felt quite unsure over leaving her on her own.

Caterina offered him a soft smile. "No Jamison. I don't mind doing this and, besides, it should only take about an hour or so."

"Well, if you're sure, I'm going to run by the main office and pick up a file or two that need to be reviewed. I'll be back in about an hour. See you around six-thirty."

"Ok." She managed another brief smile and lightly patted his arm as she stepped out of the car. "See you then."

Before shutting the door, Caterina stooped and stuck her head back in quizzically. "What's today again?"

Jamison took a deep breath and pursed his lips a moment before answering her. "Friday, March eighth, dear."

"Huh. Really? Odd. Would have been two months from today…." her quiet voice trailed off.

A look of vividly raw sorrow passed over her face as there was an almost involuntary shudder of her whole body but Caterina claimed hold of herself. Jamison didn't know what to say and fought the idea of staying with her. What if she broke down while with the realtor and buyer? No, he would let her have this chance. Caterina had been doing much better at controlling her random outbursts and maybe this was just the tiny push she needed, to step back out on her own for a short while. He'd have to show faith in her. She gave the car door a push shut and offered him another brief smile with a tiny wave.

Ms. Jones and Mr. Davidson broke off their conversation and headed over to Caterina, who waited on the porch. Jamison noticed she was now wearing one of her best fake smiles. 'That's my girl, glad she's at least trying,' he thought to himself as he pulled away and headed back out the drive toward the company office.

"Ms. Clarkstone! Caterina! How lovely to see you, dearie! I'd like to introduce you to Kent Davidson. He's been inquiring about the mansion for some time now but is just now able to meet up with us to properly view the place."

"How do you do, Mr. Davidson?" Caterina gave his offered hand a gentle shake.

"Oh Kent, call me Kent please. I'm excited to finally get time in my schedule to come see this beautiful place. My wife and I have been searching high and low for some place just like this - far out and away from the busy city life of London. We have three boys who would adore this kind of space!"

She knew he was a wealthy stockbroker and that he'd even been an acquaintance of her father years ago. He seemed nice enough and Caterina relaxed a little. Lesley pulled out a set of keys and removed the lockbox from the door.

Holding the door open, she motioned cordially, smiling to Caterina and Mr. Davidson, "After you both."

They entered and, as Lesley shut the door behind them, Caterina headed toward the light switch panel that controlled many of the lights for the hall and grand staircase areas. She threw all the lights on at once, as she was suddenly overcome with a great feeling of uneasiness. There seemed to be several brilliant flashes of light, followed by a bang or two, as if several of the bulbs all blew and shattered at once. Behind her were two loud thuds, and she turned to view Lesley and Mr. Davidson both on the floor, lying there, oddly heaped about. A nauseating wave of fear gripped her heart. What had just happened?

Swiftly, she felt a large, icy hand almost crushing her shoulder and whirling her around. Caterina stared open-mouthed into the cold, hateful eyes of a stranger. He sneered at her while his eyes raked over her body in a lewd manner. His face, also cold and abhorrent as it were, looked like it had been chiseled out of smooth stone.

"I must say, I'm quite delighted and taken aback with your beauty,' he announced in a salacious and disgustingly soft voice. "And it appears like the rest of you is also very delightful as well. Should prove for an agreeable evening after all. Who on earth would have thought it possible? I might just have to thank him for this."

"Get your filthy hands off me!" she screamed.

Caterina brought her hands up and punched the man towering over her as hard as she could muster, right in his gut. It was useless, though, as he was evidently very powerful.

He threw back his head and let out a wicked laugh. "Oh goody, you're a fighter. I like a girl with a little spunk now and again."

With that, she found his hand moving to collect her neck in a vice-like choke. He slammed her up against the hallway wall with such force that, momentarily, her vision blacked out from the pain in her head. There was a loud cracking sound and it felt as if her head were suddenly cleaved in two. She fought for clarity within the mist that was lapping all around her and threatening to cover her in its shroud. Caterina waited, expecting to feel drops of blood falling to her neck or face at any moment, and wondered how bad of a wound it was. Then an oddly dull pain seemed to be seeping from the top of her body to the bottom as she started to struggle again to free herself from his deathly hold.

The assailant slapped her hard across the face, causing her senses to dull even more. She heard what sounded like the ripping of fabric, and a new gruesome and heinous fear overtook her as it dawned vividly upon her mind. He was going to rape her. She could see it in his eyes along with his anticipation. Caterina felt something cold and hard being pressed roughly into her ribs. A gun. The bastard wasn't man enough to do the deed without the aid of a weapon. As if he alone couldn't easily overpower her. But, instantly, she calmed her resistance against him. There was no way she could or should attempt to defend herself now.

"Please! Please don't! Please! I'll give you anythi-" she begged.

He tightened his grip around her neck, making it impossible for her to speak, as she struggled now just for small gasps of breath.

"Oh no. There's nothing you can give me that I desire, other than this sweet, sweet revenge," he said in a deadly, smooth and low voice that was almost directly against her ear. "That alone is all I'm after. It's a pity that you clearly can't even begin to fathom what and who my revenge is even for. Maybe I'll tell you, if I find you're actually worth all this effort. And I do hope that you are."

She felt his cold hands begin to touch her warm skin; he lightly kissed her neck, stopping a moment to inhale her scent, then he flicked his tongue across her lips. His touch felt like acid on her and her whole body started to tremble in terror. He started talking again but Caterina felt herself slipping away, desperately searching for a way to lock herself up within her own mind, to shut out his voice and what was about to happen. She closed her eyes. He violently slapped her again.

"Look at me!" he screamed shrilly, "I want to enjoy the fear and terror in your eyes!"

"No!" Caterina kicked out at him and flailed around wildly, hoping to break free.

There was another loud crack and she lost all vision again for several seconds as she felt herself being pinned to the wall in an unmoveable fashion, followed by horrific pain. It was coursing through every inch of her entire body now. Had he hit her in the head with the gun? Or had he actually shot her? She couldn't figure it out but the next thing she knew, the gun barrel was thrust so deeply into her ribs, she thought the force alone might snap one of them. Her head began to swirl and swim dangerously into a sort of nothingness. He was still talking but she could no longer comprehend his words even if she wanted to. She must shut out what he was saying, what he was doing.

All at once, her mind settled down into a calm and serenely happy place. Caterina uttered an audible gasp at the sight she found, for it was the most thrilling sight she'd seen in months. She wondered at it for a moment, amazed by its intensity and then stepped right in to enjoy the wondrous illusion.

Severus was there, standing behind her with his strong, loving arms holding her tightly by the waist. She was smiling up at him. He kissed her passionately. Then he slowly pulled his head away and reached his hand up to lovingly stroke the dark hair of the tiny baby Caterina held in her arms. Their baby, their son, the child born out of their enduring and unwavering love for each other.

There was a deep fissure breaking out along the top of the picture that she held within her mind and she started to scream uncontrollably. It was tearing right down through the middle, ripping her and Severus apart. The pain was soul-shattering and heart-stopping. But Caterina was not about to lose this. It was all she had to hold onto anymore and she was going to fight like hell to keep it before her mind's eye.

"NO! NO! NOOOOOO!" she vehemently screamed while beginning to thrash about unrestrainedly.

She felt herself being hit again with a force of such magnitude that a ferociously terrible pain went searing throughout her head. She shook uncontrollably as her body was wracked with brutal spasms, sending the merciless pain out to follow along in her very life's blood as it made connection with every nerve in her body. The voice of the bastard was yelling at her but she fought to shut out his words and his actions of violation against her body.

Caterina would bring the image back completely, no matter the cost. Something strong and very real told her this would be the last time she would see him and she wasn't about to give it up because she wasn't strong enough to keep him within her grasp. She fought and concentrated purposefully. The image returned only dimly at first but soon it started to fade drastically, losing its luster. She fiercely pulled all her resolve together and concentrated again, hard within her mind. Suddenly, she heard Severus' magnificent voice. She felt his tender, loving touch. She tasted his sweet kisses that were meant for her lips only. The picture surged back with such an intensity, that it glowed brightly around the edges as if it were on fire from the passion that she had finally instilled in it, from within her own mind. She had not lost him at all. Caterina smiled and once again enjoyed the warm glow that emanated all around her. Oh, it was so tremendously warm and remarkably glorious. The golden glow filled her and seemed to project out of her now. Caterina smiled exuberantly as she basked in the warmth of Severus' loving embrace one last time.

There was one more loud thud, followed by a biting string of curses, and it brought her back to reality as his image was severed completely from her mind. She felt herself falling. Slowly, the floor caught her. It was cold and hard as it received her surely broken body. The warmth she had so desperately been clinging to was slipping away and fading back into cold, consuming darkness, a darkness that now threatened to defeat her momentarily. Her strength was gone and all her energy sapped away, to be gone forever as it now felt. She started to feel the life in her body leaving, as it bled out onto the floor, all around her.

She almost welcomed the darkness now. It held a different sort of calmness within its icy, chilled arms. It was calling to her and allowing her to enter into its emptiness, freely and unburdened. To stop the fighting and to stop all the hurting. She was ready for it all to stop, ready for a permanent relief. The raw brokenness had become unbearable in her heart. She would let it come and embrace her. Caterina was not afraid of it anymore. She was tired of just merely existing. Of being without him. Of not knowing if he was even alive anymore. She was tired of losing everything. Life should be filled with more than hurting and pain with only a little bit of love sprinkled in at times. But Caterina had seen her Beloved one last time and she felt sure it was the closest thing she would ever get to a real goodbye now.

There was one final searching with her eyes into the world around her... She saw no one. No one was there. She was alone and it was quiet, almost peaceful. A single, burning tear spilled out and flowed down her skin. She let go and no longer felt the pain; it was all gone; everything and everyone had left her. She was alone now, once again, in her life.

At last, Caterina slipped with a certain gracefulness into the waiting darkness, relaxing into its cold, empty embrace. She closed her once vivid and bright blue eyes. And they opened no more.

* * *

A/N: *sniff, sniff* I know, a lot to take in here, this was one of the hardest chapters to write for this story... :( More terrible trouble for them all to endure. Any thoughts as to who the horrible villain is? All we can do now is hope against all hope for Caterina and for Severus... and as always, thank you for reading!


	33. A Light Shines On

**Chapter 33**

**A Light Shines On**

The Wizarding War was over. Voldemort, the Dark Lord, Tom Riddle – whatever one chose to call him now, he was destroyed once and for all.

Severus' eyes opened. And the same thought came to him as it had each time he opened his eyes in the past few days - he was alive! He lay in the infirmary, still recovering from his injuries but he was alive. How he managed to survive the battle was a compete mystery to him and he didn't even care anymore. He had fulfilled the mission he'd vowed to undertake years before. And now – now he was finally a free man, unburdened by the weight that had many times almost shattered and consumed him. He took a deep breath and reveled in the clarity and focus it brought his mind. The Dark Mark upon his left forearm had faded away and, now his mask could come off forever.

He now had one goal and one goal only for the rest of his life. He was going back to Caterina and no one and nothing would stand in his way. Nothing else in the world mattered anymore but her. Not Harry, not Hogwarts, not even magic. Only her and being with her mattered. He reflected back as to how he had left her. It tore at his insides to think of the pain he must have caused for her, being gone for so long. Severus knew for certain she had been crushed by it but that she would have held her head high and tried to carry on the best she could. That was his sweet Caterina. _His Love_. And he would not leave her, ever again. Severus was more than ready to prove it. She was his one and his only true love and he must not lose her. He vowed not to lose her.

As he lay there resting, he began formulating his plan. His wounds had healed quite well in the last four days and the pain was almost gone from everywhere in his body. He would always carry several small scars from the accursed fangs on his neck but that was only a tiny price to pay. Within another day or two at the most, the healers would discharge him. He'd go to her at the seaside cottage. He knew she would not have left it. She found so much joy there, enjoying the flower gardens and being close by the sea. It was secluded and safe from the prying eyes of nosy neighbors and town life; the sort of privacy she had not grown up with.

Severus thought it best to show up early in the morning, maybe around sunrise. He hoped he might find her staring out to sea as the sun rose and sitting under her favorite reading tree. She would, without a doubt, be shocked to see him. Thrilled. Angry. Overjoyed. A flood of emotions was to be expected. She may be thrilled and relieved to see him but no doubt a little angry at him for being gone so long. He would be ready to handle anything from her.

With another deep breath, Severus rested his head back against the pillow. He closed his eyes and tried to envision what she would look like. What would she be wearing? How would she have her hair? Oh, the wondrous joy it would be to hold her in his arms again and to kiss her lovely lips. His Caterina, his beautiful and sweet Caterina. In so many ways, it had been her profound and unwavering love only that had saved him. She had given his life a real, new meaning and the power to fight for a chance to keep on living it.

"Excuse me, Professor Snape, but are you in pain?" asked a highly concerned sounding Madam Pomfrey.

He opened his eyes. "No. None at all. Why do you ask?"

"Well, because– you're smiling!" she replied anxiously.

Severus snorted over this. Not many people could say they had ever seen him smile a real smile before.

"No, there's no pain," he began, sitting up higher. "In fact, I'm feeling quite well and was thinking I should probably give up this bed. I'm more than well enough to manage in my own quarters now and there are several important matters I need to attend to as soon as possible."

Madam Pomfrey raised a concerned eyebrow. "I'm glad to hear you're feeling so much better but you will need to spend at least one more night here for us to administer your last dose of anti-venom potion. Plus, we're still monitoring your healing closely as to its very unusual nature. In addition, no one is cleared to leave until seen again by Head Healer Brock from St. Mungo's. He'll be doing rounds later tonight and again in the morning, so possibly then."

Severus quickly saw from her firm demeanor that it was pointless to argue and though he really could use one more night of rest, he couldn't stop himself from scowling at her. He was about to groan for added emphasis, when she patted him on the arm and chuckled.

"Now that's more like the Professor Snape that I know! Get back to resting."

For the next few hours, Severus lay quietly, with all his thoughts devoted entirely to Caterina until Healer Brock stopped by with his last dose. It was then that he finally thought about questioning his surprisingly quick recovery. He knew that Arthur Weasley's bites had kept him in St. Mungo's for several weeks.

"Professor Snape, it's good to see your excellent progress in recovering. Here's your last anti-venom potion," he said as he uncorked the vial, passing it to Severus. "We probably could have stopped these two days ago but we didn't want to take any chances in not getting the poisonous venom completely out of your system. Not after the miraculous feat of magic that went into getting most of it out of you to begin with," stated Healer Brock so matter-of-factly.

"Yes, about that…." Severus started to ask.

The healer chuckled at his questioning look, "You still don't know how you happened to be cured so quickly, do you? Well, she's never been one to brag."

"Who?"

"Minerva McGonagall, that's who. What she did, we're actually still trying to work out the logistics over, as it's something we've never really seen or heard of before." Healer Brock held a highly impressed look on his face. "The hospital has even sent out inquires to over institutions around the world, trying to find anything similar. It may develop into a new, unexplored branch of healing because of this unique discovery."

Severus frowned slightly. "_What _exactly did she do to me?"

Healer Brock looked perplexed for a minute as he struggled to find the proper words for describing just what had transpired in the Shrieking Shack. "I'm not sure as to what alerted her to your whereabouts or your serious condition, but she got to you just in time. With the amount of venom, you had only minutes left. It appears that, without even an exact incantation, through sheer intentions alone, she transfigured the venom, separating it from your blood, pulling it out of you."

"Pulled it out? Like how?" he asked hurriedly, for he had never heard of such an approach to removing any kinds of poisons.

"Using a pure drop of the venom that was residing just outside one of your wounds, she explained that she simply focused on it, somehow collecting the rest as it traveled through your body, and transfigured it into very fine, long wispy filaments that she then pulled back out through the wounds. It was nothing but absolute genius on her part," finished the healer, his voice full of awe.

Severus sat, stunned at this news. Though he had always considered Minerva to be very accomplished and a talented witch in her own right, he'd never dreamed she would be capable of such an odd, yet amazing power. Moreover, for the first once in his life, he could not think of a better wizard or witch to be indebted to over saving his life. He and the healer continued discussing his recovery for a little while longer before Severus once more welcomed a peaceful night's sleep filled with dreams of Caterina.

Morning couldn't come fast enough. Healer Brock stopped by again and cleared him around mid-morning, continually reminding him not to over exert himself for the next few weeks and giving him a list of times he was to check in with Poppy to be looked over. Afterwards, he headed straight to his bedchambers for a long, hot shower and a fresh change of clothes.

When finished, Severus was soon heading back through Hogwarts' halls toward the Headmaster's office. The corridors were all but empty as most of the students had returned to their homes for the summer. There were a great many still recovering in the infirmary, as well as the converted Great Hall, but they were being closely monitored and would not be allowed to roam the castle freely. He was thankful, for he did not want to be stopped by those wanting to discuss the battle's events for the hundredth time. He had already given a full and thorough interview to Kingsley Shacklebolt, acting Minister of Magic, and many other top Ministry officials in the first two days after the defeat. Now Severus was free to do as he pleased, with his name completely cleared on all counts against him. He felt very pleased with how everything wrapped up so nicely and everything had been taken care of in regards to his true loyalty all these years.

Severus' thoughts slipped once more to Caterina. Suddenly, he was struck with what had just become a peculiarly horrifying thought - explaining that he was a wizard to Caterina. He'd always suspected she would take it well but now he was rethinking it all. He was going to tell her, as he was done living in the world of secrets and lies. Would she take the news well? How would she respond to this knowledge? He would have to think about the best way to gently tell her so she wouldn't be scared of him or think him crazy. Might also help to possibly consult with Albus on this, before he left, he thought. He had always assumed that she'd accept it easily; after all, she was very bright and easy to reason with most of the time. However, Severus knew what he was now prepared and more than willing to do if she just could not accept his long-harbored secret. He would break his wand in two and happily live a completely muggle life with her.

He entered the Headmaster's office to a rousing applause and many enthusiastic greetings from the portraits.

"Good to have you back Headmaster," was the most common salutation he heard over the roars and cheers.

Solemnly he held up a hand for silence and nodded his thanks. "I'm sure you would love to talk about everything that's happened but it's going to have to wait until another time. I have a serious matter that needs attending to."

As he rounded the desk to sit, he caught Dumbledore's familiar wink. "Good for you, Severus. Be sure to give her my highest regards. And I do assume that you are going to now tell her everything, am I correct?"

Severus didn't know how he could already know his plans but it didn't surprise him. Dumbledore's hunches rarely surprised him anymore. Those hunches brought him to befriending Caterina but Dumbledore was not giving up any answers on that matter. Just like he had never particularly divulged any information as to where or why his hunch about Caterina had come from still after all these years. He truly was the most remarkable wizard, even if highly irritating and overly demanding.

Staring at the old headmaster, Severus slowly nodded and spoke, "About that, I'm at a slight loss as how to-"

"How to tell her you're a wizard? I always suspected that you kept that hidden from her and I do applaud you for how you managed to keep yourself from ever slipping. That takes great restraint." Dumbledore paused and smiled faintly down at him with almost misty eyes. "I do believe though that she is most intelligent and that she'll quickly accept you for who and what you are. Your love for each other is deep and passionate."

Severus nodded, yet he said nothing in return as his mind began searching for a fitting method of gently explaining the truth to her.

As he sifted around through the papers lying on the desk, he sorted them into two piles, of what was urgently important and what could wait. A nervous excitement started to grow within him. With any luck, he would be seeing Caterina in less than twenty-four hours and the thought thrilled his heart to the utmost. Could he stand to wait that long? No, he could not and now he was reconsidering. If he left almost straight away, he would see her before nightfall. Yes, that's what he'd do. Soon, very soon, he'd be again with his Caterina and this time there would be no leaving. _Ever._

* * *

A/N: Yes, we did just skip about two month's ahead to the end of it, where one very lucky Severus Snape has managed to survive, thanks to some astonishing and talented transfiguration work of Minerva. The Wizarding War may be over but now the battle for Caterina is just beginning...


	34. When that Light Goes Out

**Chapter 34**

**When that Light Goes Out**

Less than two hours later, just as the golden sun was beginning to set, he approached the charming stone cottage, that despite his long absence from, he now considered it home. Severus quickly pulled out his wand and checked. All the magical spells and charms for her protection were still in place. The corner of his lip curved up briefly in extreme relief. His _Love_ had remained safe and sound these past long months without him. No one had discovered her.

The curtains were all closed along the front side of the cottage, thought there were no lights were shining out the windows. It wasn't quite that dark yet. Knowing Caterina, she was probably out back enjoying the gardens or reading a favorite book by the last streams of daylight under their favorite Holme tree.

He was turning onto the pavestone path toward the door when a sudden uneasiness overwhelmed him. Something was not quite right. Something was out of place. Severus stopped and quickly pulled out his wand again as he surveyed the front yard. It was tangled and overgrown, looking quite neglected. Fear clawed at his heart but he pushed it away quickly. He silently cast Homenum Revelio over the house and grounds. No one was there. That was not completely unexpected, but still he was desperate to know where she was. Maybe she had just stepped out for a few hours and would soon be returning.

There was no way he was going to just leave and he decided to head directly inside to have a look around. With a flick of his wand, the white door opened for him. Severus entered quickly, shutting it behind him and warding it in case anyone should attempt to enter while he was there. By the fading daylight, he could tell that not much had changed since he was last there. But something felt off. _Very off. _He drew a deep breath, trying to take in the familiar smell of the cottage and that from Caterina that should be there. It was then he realized the air was stale. Stale, as if the cottage had been shut up for a long while. The claw was back.

As he made his way slowly through the spacious and open downstairs, he quickly confirmed the theory. There was a fine layer of dust over many items. Items that he knew Caterina used and touched daily. What should he do now? Where had she gone? He lingered by the couch where they had held each other so many times by the fireside. He closed his eyes as he ran his hand across the fine beryl blue upholstery. Severus could almost feel her sweet body wrapped up close against his. It took a few moment but he shook himself out of the wistful reverie and continued his search of the house.

Dashing up the stairs, he paused in the doorway of the beautiful white bedroom. There, before him was the bed they had shared so passionately together. And where he had left her when he last departed from her side. The bed was neatly made but, by another flick of his wand, he knew it had been untouched for many months.

"Oh God," he muttered as he sank down onto it. He closed his eyes again as his hand gently caressed her pillow. The claw dug deeper. "What have I driven her to?"

For many long, pain-filled minutes he sat there like that. When at last he opened his eyes again, a soft glimmer caught his attention. On the nightstand, there lay the never-wilting white rose. A flick of his wand revealed her fingerprints covered it from petals to stem.

Bringing it to his lips, Severus took in its sweet soft aroma and murmured her name aloud. "Caterina... Where are you my _Love_?"

Carefully, he placed the rose back as he found it. He could feel the claw digging deeper into his heart. Why was she gone from here? He _had_ to find her. He _must_ find her. And soon. After one more wistful look around the room, he left, feeling like a part of him stayed there pleading for Caterina to come back from wherever she may have gone away to.

Next, Severus headed into the sea blue bedroom. A few times, they had found themselves making love in there. Right away, he knew it had also gone untouched for many months. He glanced into the other spare bedroom and was surprised to find it empty and recently repainted. Lastly, he peeked into the smaller guest room and that's where he discovered she must have been sleeping since apparently giving up the room they had once shared together. He summarized that the sea blue room that they had ended up in those few times had also been out of the question.

Severus was aghast and dumbfounded at the obvious and extreme heartbreak he must have caused, that had driven her to such great lengths. He felt horrible that his long absence had been so painfully unbearable for her.

Back downstairs he went, hoping to discover even the tiniest tell-tale sign of where she might be. Luck was not granted him, although he was able to ascertain that the cottage had only been shut up like this for about two months. What happened that caused her to leave from here completely? She loved the cottage and the beautiful gardens around it on the large property. It had only been a few weeks ago that she had left, so surely it wasn't over just him? Or could Caterina no longer bear to pass by so many constant reminders of what they had once shared together, each day?

Severus entered the kitchen, right away noticing several things out of their usual place. If Caterina had left for good, she would have put those items back on the shelves. It was uncharacteristic of her not to, even if she was upset. Did something happen, causing her to leave in a rush? Severus closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose trying to piece everything together. In his mind, he suddenly saw flashes of items from around the cottage, items that Caterina held in high sentimental value, with no ties to him. Several family portraits and photo albums, mementos of her father and tiny trinkets from her mother; those she would not leave behind just to escape him. He knew her better than that. The claw was ripping straight into his heart now.

Pounding both fists on the wooden kitchen table, Severus uttered an anguished groan. It was then he noticed her familiar script across the front of a small decorative notepad. He picked it up and lit his wand to better read her words.

_"Wishing you were somehow here again...Knowing that you never will... How do I say goodbye?"_

He recognized the words as being to one of the songs she would hum or sometimes softly sing from that Phantom book that she liked. Severus never much paid attention to the music when she played it unless she sang along. The fact that she had put those words to paper told him Caterina must have been desperate in needing even the tiniest sign to show her that he was still alive.

That claw now ripped a wide gaping hole. His eyes stung as if hit by an extreme blast of arctic air. He was terrible, his actions reprehensible. He'd taken the only pure thing that ever came to him and loved him so honestly, freely and openly in his whole life and seemingly cast it aside for the time being as if it had been unwanted by him. That's what she had to have thought about his departure all those months ago. Severus wondered if he'd taken her understanding for granted now. He believed his choice had been the best and only course of action at the time that he had to protect her by but maybe he had been wrong? How that must have ripped at her own heart and tore her to pieces for him to leave her. Just like the claw ripping at his, now.

Severus saw all the glaring errors he felt he'd made. First in his decision to leave her without so much as a simple note for almost a year. And then in not ever telling her the truth about being a wizard. He couldn't risk frightening her away, could he? So he had hid it, when, deep down, he knew she should have been told. He'd also believed he was ultimately protecting her from fear, worry and pain by never telling her of the possible death he faced in completing his mission. But now he realized that if he had died, he'd never even left a way for her to find out about it. She would never have had any closure over it. It must have seemed like he had stormed into her life, stolen her love and her heart and then abandoned her forever.

Now, Severus wondered if he were too haughty in his previous thoughts, assuming that she would so easily take him back? The only way he would know would be by finding her. If nothing else, he owed her a complete explanation for his actions and the whole truth. He would not dare expect her forgiveness to come easy or even quickly now, not over what he had done to her. She had every right to hate him for what he'd kept from her, though she would still be his love and he wanted her to know it. She would always be his love. And he would stay by her side until she was ready to accept him into her life again if that's what he needed to do.

It was quite late now and he decided it best to return to Hogwarts. Looking down at the words she'd written on the notepad, Severus reached for the pen. He scribbled his own note just below her words and gently removed the top sheet. Folding it with the greatest of care, he then tucked it into his breast pocket, next to his heart. With one last longing look around the cottage, he exited it and shut the door behind him. The tiny sound of the door clicking sounded deafening to his ears. Before leaving the path, he cast several more spells; spells to immediately alert him, should anyone return to the house or enter the grounds.

Back at Hogwarts, sleep eluded his weary body and soul. In his mind, he kept going over everything he'd seen in the cottage, searching for something he might have missed. Severus sought to remember all the different places that Caterina had ever mentioned that she wanted to visit. Where was she? Oh, how his heart ached for her. Without her and not knowing where to find her - it was like being in total darkness and pure agony. Not knowing where she had gone was like living without air. She had always been the light that shone so brightly into his heart, the only light as well as his constant breath of fresh air that filled his soul. The only thing that would soothe him now was holding her in his arms once more.

First thing in the morning he would go to Clarkstone Mansion. It was a long shot, he knew, as Caterina would never have any desire to live there again. The huge house was all but empty and had been on the market for almost a year. It may have even sold by now. He made a mental list of places to visit after the mansion. Along with the main Clarkstone and Company office, there was the one factory left. Suddenly, he remembered Jamison. Jamison would _definitely _know where she was. How could he have forgotten about him? But would Jamison be angry with him as well? It would stand to reason that Jamison didn't know him or understand him like Caterina did. If she wasn't with Jamison when Severus found him, he might not be extremely willing to give up the information but Severus would discover it by any and all means. Finding Jamison would find Caterina, of that he was most sure.

When Severus finally drifted off, his sleep was disturbed and broken many times by violent dreams showing him terrible possibilities of what might have become of his precious and sweet love, Caterina. Despite his restless sleep, he was back in the Headmaster's office quite early to collect a few papers and several items to aid him in his search. Unexpectedly, there came a loud knock upon the door.

"Damn it! Not now!" he hissed Severus didn't have time to be bother, nor was he in the mood to deal with anyone who would only prolong his search for Caterina.

Cursing under his breath, he sharply slammed a stack of files on the desk as aloud, he called out, "Enter!"

* * *

A/N: Oh, poor Severus! Just when he thought he'd find her and that all would be well.… Speculations as to who might be at the door? I'll tell you, no, it's not Caterina! ;) Snapey hugs to you for reading and sharing your thoughts!

Song mood for this chapter = _Somewhere by Within Tempation._


	35. My Darkest Solemn Hour

**Chapter 35**

**My Darkest Solemn Hour**

Minerva McGonagall came sweeping into the room with a very muggle looking man close in tow. He was short, slightly pudgy, with thinning reddish hair and was almost bald on the top. His fattish face was flushed deep red from hurrying to keep up with her long strides. Sporting a dark navy official looking suit of some type, he carried a hat under his arm and a worn brown leather briefcase was in his hand.

Minerva eyed Severus dubiously for a long moment before speaking. "You're not looking so well Severus. Are you really sure you should be up and about just yet?"

"I'm fine enough," was his icy retort. "What can I help you with?"

The older witch got right to the point. "This is Detective Thomas Baker. He's a squib who works as a muggle investigator in London. He also works in close conjunction with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement when crimes in the Muggle World appear to have been caused or enhanced by someone from the Wizarding World."

The plump man stepped forward, shifted his things about, and then stuck out a free hand for Severus to shake.

"Nice ta meet you, sir, Mr. Snape, ahh... Headmaster. And call me Tom! Now before I get down to biz, I just wanted to congratulate all you people, meanin' wizards, here at Hogwarts on your recent victory too. Now the Wizardin' and Muggle Worlds can start gettin' back to being somewhat normal 'gain, whatever that be." He gave a sort of laughing snort and added, "Course, not much is normal when ya've seen both sides, ya know?

Severus barely shook the man's hand, while raising his brow to Minerva. A playful smile hung around her lips and she just gave a shrug of her shoulders.

"Could whatever this is pertaining to possibly wait? I have a very pressing and urgent matter that requires my full and immediate attention." Severus' kept his gaze most intimidating.

Tom glanced anxiously back at Professor McGonagall, who in turn raised her own brow disapprovingly at Severus and stepped closer to the desk. "He waited here for you most all of yesterday afternoon and you were nowhere to be found, Severus. I know this isn't the best of times for any of us but even Muggles deserve justice too, when wronged. And he's assured me that this won't take long at all."

Severus forced a thin, unconvincing smile. "Forgive me. You're right, of course, Minerva."

"Oh, I shan't take too much of your time, sir! Sees, comin' to ya is really a last ditch effort on a particular and boggling multiple homicide case I've come across. I'll just give ya a real fast rundown 'bout it. And I only have a few questions."

He proceeded to flop himself down on a chair across from the large desk and propped his worn briefcase open on his lap. While sifting through the insides, he started to talk again.

"Well, let me see, I took this case a few days ago at the request of an old friend. Strictly speakin,' it ain't really within my general jurisdiction, ya see. I'm usually based outta the London an' main city areas but I was asked to check this out for a friend of a friend… and, well, ya know how that goes at times…."

He caught Severus eyeing him quite impatiently. "Sorry. I tend to ramble at times."

"I see." Severus held a firm, unpleasant look.

"Anyways, the case seemed fairly open-'n-shut at first, but as I dug even deeper, I started to discover a few tiny magical connections, which 'n turn –"

Unable to focus on this man's problem, Severus again interrupted. "How again does this relate to me?"

Detective Baker reddened in the face again and cleared his throat loudly. "It doesn't exactly. Least not other than the fact that you were at sometime possibly 'quainted with one of the victims. Aha! Here it is!"

He took out a tan folder and flipped toward the back where he pulled out a small stack of photos. Severus wondered to himself which long-ago muggle acquaintance had gone and gotten themselves killed. How he could possibly be of any help in the matter was well beyond him as well.

Mr. Baker finally selected a photo and handed it across the desk to Severus, who eagerly looked down to see whose face he just might recognize as it looked back at him. Instantly, though he froze - in his movements, in his head and in his heart. It was as if his blood ceased to flow through his veins and now he was dying, slowly, and most heinously. For _his_ Caterina, her beautifully sweet face was gazing back at his from the photo.

"Caterina-" he choked.

He couldn't breathe. The room around him appeared to shrink and close in around him as his world and all that he had in it, imploded right before his very eyes. He didn't care. It could end and take him right along with it. He welcomed it, in fact. Without her, there would be no reason to go on with life, as it was all now utterly meaningless.

Minerva, who quickly sensed his extreme duress, rounded the desk to see what could have caused such an effect upon the man before her. Never before had she witnessed Severus showing the slightest amount of real emotion for anyone, other than his usual anger, frustration, resentfulness which often led to his use of mockery, and reproachfulness toward most everyone around him. Definitely never complete sadness and utter hopelessness, like she perceived from him now. Was he even able to exhibit such deep emotions after all this time?

She knew his long life as a double spy had caused him to walk the thinnest of threads, making it necessary to deeply conceal all true feelings and emotions. She wasn't sure how to console him and she doubted highly, if she tried, that he would even acknowledge it or accept it. But yet, she felt suddenly compelled and, hesitantly, she laid a comforting hand on his shoulder but to no avail. Her gaze fell to the picture, gripped tightly in his hand.

Minerva gasped. "Oh my! She's beautiful. Who was she?"

But Severus could not answer her. He simply bowed his head down onto the desktop. He made no movement and she wondered if he was even breathing now.

"Umm... I'm so sorry – I didn't… that is to say…." started the investigator, but Minerva hurriedly hushed him with a harsh wave of her hand.

She looked wildly around the room, trying to collect her thoughts, when she caught sight of Dumbledore's portrait. The old gray haired headmaster was shaking his head while wiping a tear from the corner of his eye and muttering to himself repeatedly, 'No! It can't be so! It just can't be!'

"Ex-ex- excuse me...," Detective Baker began again, while fidgeting his hands around uncontrollably.

She shot him such a vehement look, while barely refraining from screaming, 'Shut up' at him or drawing her wand to hex him into silence for the time being. Minerva heard a low, anguished moan escape from Severus. She then did something she never would have imagined doing in a hundred years, by gently placing her hand soothingly upon his head in a most motherly fashion.

Who in Merlin's beard was this young beauty - a woman, nothing but a mere woman - and what hold could she possibly have over Severus to bring him to his knees in utter despair like she was now witnessing? A man who wept for no one and had buried his true feelings and emotions for years, deeper than the sea, just so he could successfully deceive the strongest threat the Wizarding World had ever seen.

The detective had finally turned a serious and violent shade of deep purple. He didn't seem to be able to keep quiet any longer as he jumped out of his chair, stomped his foot and threw his hands in the air, almost screaming, "People, get a grip, an' let me finish! She. Is. Not. Dead!"

With that, Severus snapped his head back up so fast from the desk that Minerva barely removed her hand in time. She noticed that, while there were no tears, his eyes looked severely red and his skin was a deadly pale white.

"What?" was all he could manage in a strangled sounding whisper.

"I'm sorry for the confusion. She's not dead, just the other two people that were with her. But she was attacked and isn't well.

Severus sucked in a sharp breath. Minerva summarized it may have actually been his first since he'd first laid his head down on the desk.

"Explain!" he commanded harshly.

And this time there were less interruptions. Detective Baker dug out two more photos, that of a wealthy looking gentleman and of a woman wearing a smart black business suit.

"Well, what we do know 'or sure, is that she met up with the other two victims at her former residence, Clarkstone Mansion, early on the eve of March eighth. Davidson, the man, was interested in purchasing the place an' Jones, the woman, was the realtor for Ms. Clarkstone. It 'pears that those two were killed 'most immediately upon enterin' the mansion. Why, whoever did this bothered to leave Ms. Clarkstone aliv-" He stopped short at hearing a vicious snarl from Severus.

"She- she was attacked an' left there, at near the bottom of the grand staircase. Nothin' was damaged in the place, an far as we can tell nothin' was taken, either. They were discovered only maybe an hour or so after the attack at most, by -"

"Jamison," finished Severus for him, in a low, raspy voice.

"Why, yes. How'd ya know that?"

Severus ignored the question. His face twisted as if he continued to be in horrible pain and he rubbed his brows fiercely with his long, lean fingers. "You said she is not well?"

"Yes. Well, you see... the thing is... she's never - ah - well, she's not yet regained consciousness from the attack."

Detective Baker appeared truly sorrowful at having to relay this information and yet slightly fearful of how Severus might react to it. He watched nervously, ready to duck in case he saw him withdraw his wand but Severus only closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose while letting out a deeply anguished sounding breath.

"But it's been over two months now!" interjected Minerva.

"I know. Mr. Lahey, er, Jamison, of course, has her in the best possible care and several top docs in the field have checked her over, run tests an' what not... but no luck. Oh an' she's also under a twenty-four seven guard as well. T'ain't taken no chances with her. Not a one, ya know, in case someone tries to finish what-"

Severus slammed his fists on the desk as green sparks flew out from all around him as he launched himself into standing position.

Minerva eyed Severus apprehensively, knowing that she was now pulled into whatever this was as well. Her interest on this whole matter was thoroughly piqued and she herself wanted answers along with the justice. Who was this lovely girl that brought out a side she never imagined were possible for Severus Snape to ever have within him? And at the same time, she felt a sudden and fearful concern for the poor girl's well-being and safety, herself. What kind of monsters attacked people in such a way, other than Death Eaters? Still, gnawing at the back of her mind was the magical connection.

"And did you say how this is magically related?" she asked.

"I didn't. I haven't even had a chance to meet Jamison in person yet nor visit the site of the attack as I just took this case two days ago. I've been going through records and came across your name,' and he nodded toward the Professor, 'in regards to your house and figured I'd start with you."

"I must see her," Severus demanded.

"I'm sure I can arrange that an' I'll get back to you within a day or so.…" Mr. Baker offered in a slightly shaky voice.

"NO! NOW!"

Again, Minerva reached over and gently touched his arm. "Severus, I understand she is most important to you, but if you please, who exactly was she?"

Knowing him the way she did after all these years, she never really expected him to fully answer her. So she was met with extreme surprise, as he stared at the picture he'd never let go of and lovingly traced his finger on the woman's face, in the most ardently tender gesture she'd ever seen Severus make.

His voice carried a deep, rich feeling she'd never heard in it as well, as he actually replied to her question. "My… _Love."_

Minerva McGonagall's jaw dropped at that revelation and she fought the heavy urge to gasp. Severus Snape, love and women were three things that she would never put together. Not in the same sentence, not in a relationship. Oh, in some ways this was going to be more interesting than waiting to see who would win the Wizarding War they had just been through, she mused to herself.

As Severus hounded the detective with more questions, she stole a glance back at Dumbledore's portrait. Through some silent hand gestures, Minerva quickly inquired if the strain of the past years had taken the ultimate toll on him, leaving him now somewhat crazed. With a swift nod to the contrary, the old headmaster assured her that Severus Snape was indeed perfectly sane and, yes, he had found love amongst all the wretched going-ons these past few years.

She watched and listened for several moments and abruptly came to the conclusion she would accompany Severus and the detective to visit this Caterina in the hospital. First of all, because she was desperate to discover more of Severus' shocking and surprising secret. And secondly, because of the serious edge he had to himself at the present. If he was to be interacting with Muggles, he would in no way be able to keep himself in check, nor be able to refrain from showing any angry displays of wandless magic. Things around Hogwarts were about to become most interesting again.

Severus struggled to keep his thoughts together as they made ready to travel to London by Floo. He was about to see his sweet Caterina and find out what had happened to her. Once he knew for sure that she was indeed safe, he would only ever leave her side again to hunt down whoever had done this and kill them in the most torturous way that he knew how.

* * *

A/N: Wow - poor Severus has been through so much in such a short time. But most importantly Caterina is alive! And he's about to see her! And someone's going to get it! Woohooo!

Thanks for the encouraging comments and reviews! They always make my day! ILoveFantasy, I'm not sure the exact number left yet but please don't break anything else sweetie! LOL :)


	36. Tell Me What's Wrong

**Chapter 36**

**Tell Me What's Wrong**

Severus continued to bombard Detective Baker with any and every possible question he could think of, no matter how trite it might seem. And when he could think of no more, he started to ask many of the same questions over again, his mind constantly gauging, cross-referencing and piecing information together, in a desperate attempt to understand what all had traspired. Every so often Minerva would even ask a question or add a thought while taking it all in as well.

They arrived at the same private hospital that Caterina had been in with her lung issues several years ago, though this time she was in an entirely different section. Using magical diversion, they avoided having to check in at the visitors' area, as well as having anyone stopping them for not having visitor badges. Once on the floor where her room was, Severus' pace greatly increased and, with a fast bit of wand action, the two guards outside her room simply nodded and smiled at the curious party of three as they entered as if they had been expected all along.

Severus' heart lurched terribly at seeing his sweet Caterina once more hooked up to a multitude of beeping machines while a variety of needles and sensors were on and in her soft skin. She looked so fragile and delicate, much more so than when she'd had the lung troubles. With her eyes closed and her shallow steady breathing, Caterina looked like a beautiful sleeping beauty. Severus wished that were simply the case. Not caring who was watching, he rushed forward, carefully bending over her to kiss her glorious lips that he'd gone so long without. His heart ached all the more heavily as there was no response to his touch. Severus stood closely over her with his head bowed to hers, silently pleading for her to wake and come back to him.

Minerva discreetly pulled out her wand, checking over the sleeping woman while keeping an eye on Severus. She was still half in disbelief that this was even real and not some crazed delusion that he had for some pretty-faced girl. And actually seeing Severus Snape, of all people, kiss a woman, now that was enough to shock someone's heart into stopping. Severus glanced over at Minerva, seeing her actions, knowing that she was attempting several different reawakening spells while testing for any signs of magical mischief. Just as he was about to join her in doing the same, there was a loud and definitely rude snort from the doorway.

Severus whirled around as Minerva's hand quickly slid her wand into her pocket. She had gathered from comments made by Severus earlier that no one around this woman of his knew about magic. The detective also gave a jump at the sound. They all turned to see Jamison Lahey standing in the doorway. A very angry, seething Jamison, from Severus' point of view.

"Right. Right. About fucking time you have the audacity to finally show your bloody fucking face here." Then Jamison lunged forward and delivered a swift, closed fisted punch right into Severus' face.

Severus had anticipated some amount of anger from Jamison but not quite on this level. And if Minerva had not been there, what would have ensued next would have fast become ugly indeed. Though Severus felt he utterly deserved the bloody, broken nose, he did not take kindly to being physically attacked by anyone. Minerva was, admittedly, surprised that he didn't reach immediately for his wand and attack back. He stood there apparently stunned still by the punch and she decided it would not do well to give him the chance to react.

For once, the generally engaging detective stood rooted to the spot, half afraid to involve himself knowing that the magical side would easily and quickly win and he did not want to be caught in the middle. So standing to her full height and imposing a stern face, Minerva commandingly stepped between the two men, trying her best to dissolve the oncoming fray.

"Gentlemen, please! This will in no way going to help Caterina get better."

Jamison closed his eyes, turned away and punched at the wall, letting out a long, agitated snarl. In that moment, Minerva shot out her wand, repairing Severus' broken nose, but leaving the blood, to which the detective pulled a wad of tissues out of a box, handing them over to him. Now that it seemed safe, he was quite amused to see a muggle and wizard face off in this interesting turn of events.

After several deep gulps of calming air, Jamison appeared to have somewhat collected himself and turned back around to face Severus who was mopping up the blood from his face.

"Where the blasted fuck have you been all this time?" he began in a frantic tone. "Do you have _any_ idea of what she has been through in the past few months? Any idea at all? _No_! Of course you don't! How? How could you dare do such a thing to her? The torment, the hell she's already been through in her life and you go and bloody leave her, alone, with no contact? For months! And to think I honestly believed you would always be there for her, that you loved her!"

Jamison threw his hands up in the air, gave another disgusted snort and collapsed back into a chair. Severus just stared at him. Minerva watched him closely, almost unable to fathom his expression. It bore touches of self-loathing, remorse and deep sadness as well as a very bitter anger - such a tremendous display of emotions coming from a man whom she once thought of as being almost emotionless and coldly unfeeling. She waited for some sharp wit or bitterly ugly reply but none came.

"Don't you _dare_ question or doubt my love for her! She knew that the past few months would not be easy and that I would not be able to contact her. It was all done for her protection and safety-" Severus started quietly.

"Fuck her safety! Have you taken a look?" Jamison spat out, pointing toward Caterina. "Two months of this! And no sign of improvement! Nothing!"

He dropped his head wearily into his hands, closing his eyes. Jamison gave a sharp sniff and roughly wiped the corner of his left eye.

"I just don't even know any more… God knows this is more than I can take," he muttered brokenly. "The doctors aren't sounding promising… they say cases like this can last for years with no change at all. Have you- do you have any connections at all with whatever it is that you really do that could look into what's wrong with her? She never told me much but I do understand your _real_ job is top secret. I'm game to give about anything a go to get her back and I'm sure you are as well, even if it's a government run place. Or do you have to up and fucking disappear again?"

Despite the fact that he had just broken the nose of the man standing before him, his tone was now pleading toward him, aside from the last quip. Severus turned his back and walked over to Caterina, taking her small white hand between his own. Tenderly he caressed it for a long moment before he softly spoke.

"Yes, I have excellent connections and resources that will be put to full use. But once she is transferred, I'm afraid your visiting will be severely restricted at times."

Jamison sighed. "Whatever it takes, if it'll help her come out of this quickly and whole again, I'll agree to it. And you know the money is no issue but don't you dare think for a moment that you're completely forgiven."

"I don't expect to be but do know and understand this." Severus started most passionately. "I'm back for good now and will not be leaving her side for anything, until we find out who did this. And then I'll kill them myself."

"Take a number and get in line," hissed Jamison vehemently. Then after several calming breaths, he added, "Should I call for a nurse to look at your nose? Bring some ice?"

Severus shook his head no.

Then Jamison turned to Detective Baker. "Well, I didn't know what to think at first in taking my old friend Abe's advice in contacting you, but I'm impressed that you found _him_ of all people, and so quickly. I haven't even given you any info about him or told you his name yet. That's some pretty astounding detecting skills you've got for only a few days time."

The man quickly reddened at Jamison's praise while Severus rolled his eyes. Yet, he would be eternally grateful for whoever had put Jamison in connection with a squib who knew how to do his job and had found him so fast and efficiently, despite the blundering mishap of first leading him to believe his precious Caterina was dead.

Soon Detective Baker was intently questioning Jamison, as this was his first meeting with him in person. Severus listened in while quietly discussing several options with Minerva. In Jamison's distraction, he'd taken the liberty of performing several strong spells in an attempt to discover the nature of Caterina's condition with no real luck. Minerva, it seemed, was well versed in the knowledge of transferring people from muggle hospitals to St. Mungo's, having dealt with issues concerning muggleborn students in the past. Severus agreed that would be the best option for the time being and he stayed by his unresponsive Caterina while Minerva left to make the necessary arrangements.

Since it appeared that Jamison labored under the idea of Severus being a secret government agent, they decided to feed into that story and let him believe that St. Mungo's was a top-secret government hospital for experimental and extreme cases. Severus wasn't happy with Jamison knowing the real truth about him before Caterina found out herself.

The detective stayed with Jamison with the intention of working out a time to visit the mansion and for him to gather all the necessary files and paperwork for the healers at St. Mungo's. Within a few hours all the details were worked out and Severus was relieved to know that his sweet love would be getting much better and proper medical care with no more of those barbaric needles and IV's to hurt her. The switch to St. Mungo's went quite orderly and quickly with Severus breathing a small sigh of relief once she was safely being looked after by several highly trained healers.

It was not easy for him to stand back and let them take over. Soon, to his great surprise, Healer Brock appeared and began questioning Severus concerning her condition and details surrounding it. He relayed all that he knew and felt the tiniest bit more at ease that the seemingly intelligent and skilled healer was taking charge of her case. Once informed with the details that Severus knew, Brock began running through his own variety of diagnostic spells, as well as taking a sample of her blood to look for any hidden poisons or potions. Before leaving, the healer explained that he had several different plausible theories as to what could be wrong. They would soon start carefully working through each until she came around.

When the room finally emptied, Severus moved a chair to the side of the bed closest to Caterina's head. Gently he nuzzled against her face and kissed her several times before settling back into the chair, grasping her limp hand between his. Minerva, who had been waiting just out in the hall, surveyed his actions from the open doorway. She felt deeply touched by his again unguarded display of tender affection for this woman. Though she didn't know anything about them, it was obvious that Severus loved her. Minerva hoped there was a chance for her to someday get to know the woman who had given Severus Snape a heart.

Watching a few moments longer, she finally announced her presence. "Severus? I think I should best be returning to Hogwarts."

He simply nodded at her, his black eyes looking almost lost as he was seemingly unable to find any words. She stepped up and, for the second time that day, gave his shoulder a gentle comforting squeeze.

"Don't worry. They'll manage to get her all sorted out and soon set to rights. You'll see."

He just took a deep steadying breath, momentarily closed his eyes and gave a curt hopeful nod. Minerva left him alone, knowing, without even asking, that he would never leave Caterina's side until she was awake and this awful event was fully explained and put far behind them.

Severus spent many long hours into the night holding Caterina's hand and caressing her sweet face, while scrutinizing each and every detail of the horrid situation that he had to the fullest. Had the attack been random muggle violence? What were the chances that she had been attacked by a dark wizard? Was it possible that despite all of his careful planning for her safety, someone had uncovered his most precious secret? What had been done to her to leave her like this? He felt so hopeless, lost and desperate sitting there watching over his love.

Just as he was beginning to drift off to sleep, he felt the tiniest twitch coming from her hand held between his. Immediately wide-eyed, he looked her over, searching for any sign of her stirring. As a whole, his dearest _Love_ was still entirely unresponsive, though. But that tiny little twitch Severus had felt from her fingers against his own gave him a sudden and boldly growing flicker of hope within his heart again.

* * *

A/N: Finally, it's about time that poor Caterina get some real help! And poor, over burdened Jamison kinda lost it all for a bit, huh? Ouch! But really, he's completely in the dark, so can you blame him, as he's been one to deal with Caterina's seemingly hopeless condition for the past few months?

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! It was a relief to finally get them back together at last, even despite her current condition. ;)


	37. Can these Wounds be Healed?

**Chapter 37**

**Can These Wounds be Healed?**

Severus believed he might go mad. It had been three days since Caterina had been moved to St. Mungo's and the healers were having no luck in figuring out what was wrong. They had tried a variety of powerful spells and administered several different potions but there was no effect from any. Nothing about her condition had changed in the slightest. He now felt strong sympathy toward what Jamison had been enduring. No wonder he had punched Severus. For Severus himself was already highly irritated and ready to do the same each and every time a healer came in ready to try something new with no result. That man had put up with this for two full months somehow.

He didn't know if he could last two full weeks without getting some solid answers and seeing a positive change in her condition. Worse still, at times an intense fear would grip his heart, telling him that she would never recover. Severus fought those thoughts with the force of every positive memory he and Caterina had created together. There was no way he survived the wizarding war just to lose her.

Detective Baker was due to arrive at any moment with Jamison, who had spent the past few days retrieving all of Caterina's medical records. Severus had sorely hoped that Caterina would already be awake before Jamison showed up. His dreams of reuniting with Caterina, yanking her up into his arms and passionately kissing her had been severely dashed. He'd wanted death to engulf him when he first believed her to be dead. Now the thing he found himself longing most for was just to see her bright and beautiful turquoise eyes open again. After that, of course the rest would come and fall into place.

Severus made it known to Healer Brock that Jamison knew nothing about the magical world and that he preferred it to stay as such for the time being. Brock agreed and said he could see no benefit in telling him either. The most important objective was getting and combing through Caterina's medical records to look for anything that might possibly explain her present state. Brock had ultimately ruled out the potions that Severus slipped her for her lung issues and he was extremely glad of that.

Just as a medi-witch in training had magically re-braided Caterina's beautiful long curls, there came a knock at the door. Severus quickly turned, half-irritated, half-surprised, to find Minerva standing there. She couldn't explain her continued draw to the situation at hand involving Severus and this young beauty. Maybe it stemmed from the sort of bond she now felt with Severus in having helped save his life and at having gotten a deeper look into the man's long held secrets over the past few months. Whatever the case, she did feel the need to check in on both Severus and the woman he claimed to be his love.

"Any progress?" she asked with a hopeful smile.

His immediate scowl told her what his words did not. Stepping into the room, she walked over to Caterina's bedside and surveyed the sleeping woman. It still seemed inconceivable that Severus Snape could end up with someone so pretty. What was it that drew her to him? With a slight mocking smile, she wondered if this woman were full of the same sarcastic and brooding manner as well as the frigid demeanor as him? They would make quite the interesting pair, if so.

Though she had done her very best to keep his secret, there were already a few whispered rumors among the Hogwarts staff. Minerva couldn't quite pinpoint where they had started but she had her bets leaning heavily on a nosy portrait or two in the headmaster's office that tended toward the chatty side at times. What sprinkling of rumors had made it to her ears were amusing at best but she knew better than to let Severus catch wind of them for the time being.

Another knock at the door brought in Healer Brock and a few minutes behind him followed Detective Baker with Jamison. Severus didn't try to hide the smirk over Jamison's bewildered expression. Even coming into St. Mungo's through the muggle entrance was sure to have shown him some very shocking sights and Severus was not about to explain or expound on any of it. Not to mention he still felt a bit bitter over the broken nose.

Severus realized a brief round of introductions was in order and that the unhappy job fell to him. After doing so, Jamison proceeded to pull a large folder from his brown leather attaché case, handing it over to Healer Brock. Jamison acted very protective of the information and Severus stood back a moment, wondering if he was still holding such a grudge against him.

Brock began flipping through it while the detective tried to initiate Severus in small talk. Severus flippantly disregarded him, watching the healer as he scanned through Caterina's file, with Jamison peering closely over his shoulder.

"Aha! Why wasn't I informed of this immediately?" he asked Jamison while pointing to a page.

Jamison grew very red in the face as he replied, "I'd prefer to discuss that in private as no one here knows about that exactly."

Severus' head snapped quickly up at that comment and he locked his widening black eyes with Brock, who remained calm and collected like always, taking in the delicate nature of this turn of events.

Jamison saw the anger growing on Severus' face and continued, "I would think that I am still entitled to a certain amount of privacy here; after all, I'm the one who holds all legal guardianship and estate rights when it comes to what decisions are made regarding Caterina's well-being in situations such as this.

Then he reached into his bag once more, pulling out a sizable stack of documents to illustrate his point. Severus utterly refused to be backed into a corner like this over Caterina. This was not a game; it was her very life they were dealing with. What the hell had gotten into Jamison? He held a firm, demanding gaze and opened his mouth to state this fact.

But Jamison came prepared for anything he thought Severus could dish out at him.

"Severus, you're not exactly in any position to be demanding, now, are you? You have come and gone as you pleased the past few years, while I have always had to stand by her and pick up the shattered pieces for her. So until she wakes and says otherwise, I will be calling the shots as to who knows what, when it comes to concerning her," he finished rather haughtily.

Healer Brock, as well as everyone else in the room, could easily see Severus' outrage and extreme indignation over Jamison's statement. But Brock also knew with everything he'd recently been through, having been near death just over a week ago, that Severus' emotions were too closely tied into his magical power. Meaning that any kind of outburst could harm anyone in the room, directly or indirectly. He sought to coolly defuse the situation and separate the two men immediately.

Closing the folder, he stepped toward Severus, speaking clearly and openly to all, "I have a much better idea of just what might be going on with Caterina. I'm going to discuss the details with Mr. Lahey in private but he is correct in his assumptions. We follow privacy requests and guardianships' orders to the letter in regards to these sorts of situations, so if he asks for it…," Brock stopped short and laid a firm, reassuring hand on Severus' arm. "You're going to have to trust me on this. We're going to make her better."

Then Brock turned back to face Jamison. "Follow me to my office."

Jamison didn't dare meet Severus' eyes on the way out and the moment he was gone, the water pitcher flew off the bedside table and smashed against the wall where he'd just been standing.

"Severus!" rebuked Minerva sharply, as she transfigured the broken pieces, reassembling it and carefully floating it back to its place.

He whirled around to face her, black eyes gleaming in rage, his nostrils flaring. Severus kept flexing his fists in an attempt to remain somewhat in control. But, for the moment, he did not even venture to speak for fear of screaming in a violent outburst. He'd always held a decent respect for Jamison and was more than grateful for everything he'd ever done for Caterina. So many times they had even seen eye to eye where she was concerned. But now a line had been drawn and Jamison had clearly overstepped it.

Was this out of bitterness over Severus' absence in the past ten months? Or did it erupt out of him after the attack on Caterina? Surely he wasn't channeling and expressing Caterina's feelings, was he? That just could not be so. His sweet Caterina had a complete understanding of the length of time that would transpire before his possible return and she, on many occasions, assured him she was very willing to wait for him. She had always expressed a deep love for him that often amazed him, yet Jamison's actions were starting to plant a few tiny seeds of doubt in his mind. Severus pushed it away as hard as he could and sought to focus on anything else.

What had Brock seen in her medical history that gave him such hope now? He racked his brain trying desperately to remember any illness, no matter how slight, that Caterina might have ever mentioned having. He could think of nothing serious that had not already been ruled out. And that drove his mind back to the heinous attack on his sweet Love.

They still did not know for sure if the person had been a muggle or a wizard. Though Severus was starting to get a terribly strong feeling that a dark wizard might have been the one to do this to her. One that had somehow found out about the two of them, and that this wizard had in some way been seeking revenge against him. They had picked the perfect target as Severus would not rest until this act was fully avenged. He vowed to find whoever did this and make them pay but the idea of him being the ultimate cause of Caterina's condition caused him to shake with fury, sending a flurry of green sparks, snapping and flashing all around him.

Detective Baker jumped back, almost cowering in the corner, while Minerva hastily drew her wand, toying with the idea of casting a cheering charm on Severus if he didn't soon calm himself. Severus found himself suddenly torn between two choices, both of which would take him out of Caterina's presence for a little while if there would happen to be a change in her condition.

He turned toward Minerva, wondering if she would be willing to help him. She read his idea from his face and shook her head, disapprovingly.

"Severus, if you're thinking of trying to eavesdrop on their conversion, I know for a fact that it would not go undetected. They employ several rather powerful counter spells for such actions, especially in this ward. And I know the last thing you would want to happen is to get yourself thrown out of here."

He let out a low hiss, still wanting to try it and knowing she was probably correct. But he quickly concluded that it would never be worth the risk of having to stay away from Caterina for any length of time. He'd have to figure out a different way to get the information he needed to discover, and that left him with only the other idea - taking a trip to the Clarkstone mansion to ascertain for himself what might have occurred there.

It would not take him long, yet he did not want to leave Caterina's side. Finally, after discussing it over with Minerva, she agreed to stay with Caterina until he returned. If anything arose regarding her, she would send word to him via her Patronus. The detective acted eager to join him, but Severus really could not be bothered with him for the time being and reminded him that he needed to wait for Jamison to return.

Severus was about to leave when he heard a loud snapping sound, followed by a loud, "Wait!" Severus turned toward the detective to find him holding out what appeared to be his whole file on the case.

"I won't tell if you don't, though I'm sure it doesn't contain all the info you would like to have, it's at least something," Baker hastily said, while growing slightly flushed. "I do expect you both to keep this breach of protocol to yourselves."

"Of course we will," readily chirped Minerva.

Severus took the offered files with an appreciative nod.

"Just try to remember that, as bleak as it may seem, it's thankfully not as bad as it could have been, which you'll find out from that," said the detective, growing slightly red in the face.

Severus left St. Mungo's in a hopeful manner and apparated directly to the mansion's front porch. With a wave of his wand, the door opened for him. Once inside, he started sifting through the file. Whatever else the detective may have been, he was thorough, concise and devoted to details. As Severus read deeper through the paperwork, he soon found himself in an extreme crushing panic that was mixing with a pure unadulterated violent explosion as his eyes focused on one single word - rape.

This time, along with an outburst of ferocious green sparks, an assortment of glass window panes and light fixtures shattered around him. He stared incredulously at the page and read it through no less than five times before fully taking in its complete meaning. According to the police reports and medical records, his precious Caterina had not been violated in such an atrocious manner but from the state of her clothing when she was found, it had been concluded that the intent must have been there. The report speculated that possibly the perpetrator had been scared away suddenly, maybe by the return of Jamison. Severus knew he was going to find this monster and rip him apart, limb by limb, just for having that intent.

Painstakingly he began going over every inch of the entryway and hall, where he'd been told the attack had taken place. Certain spells, especially dark magic, could be known to leave behind faint traces. Severus threw out every spell that he could think of to try and reveal the minutest clue to him, but after his seventh time around the area, he determined that whoever it may have been knew how to cover their tracks properly. He widened his search to the surrounding rooms, still with no success.

Again, greatly disheartened over finding nothing that would point him in the direction of who did this to Caterina, he left to return to St. Mungo's. When he entered her room, he was surprised to see that Jamison and Brock were there now, still discussing Caterina, and to find that Minerva had apparently stepped out for a few moments.

She soon appeared in the doorway behind him, wearing a satisfied smile, and quickly whispered, "I only left when they came back. There was a small issue I needed to tend to with the medi-witch."

Severus, turning, shot her a quizzical and concerned look.

"It's a trivial matter really, but I just wanted to make sure they were keeping up with her hair and nails, little things like that." Minerva lightly patted his arm.

He felt oddly touched by her concern and grateful for her help. Giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, she soon left, followed by the others. Jamison seemed uneasy about leaving but he stepped toward Severus with his right hand outstretched, tightly closed around something.

"I believe these best belong in your hands now, to keep for her. They took them off her at the other hospital, though I always kept them close by her on the table.

Wondering, Severus held out his hand, not knowing what to expect until Jamison dropped the locket and bracelet into his waiting palm. After giving a curt nod to Severus, he followed Detective Baker out.

And Severus was soon alone again with his sweet Caterina. He moved the chair close beside her, kissed her face gently several times and grasped her soft hand between his own, while hoping fiercely that she would soon be responding to his touch. After a few moments, he gingerly hooked the delicate bracelet back around her wrist. Severus sat there holding her hand, running the tiny bracelet through his fingers until it was dark outside. With a sad sigh, he stood over her and carefully tilted her head up to slip the locket back around her smooth neck where it belonged. Despite his mounting frustrations, it brought a little smile to him to see it back in its proper place. Then, as tenderly as he could, he gathered her in his arms and held her there on the bed. His last thought, as sleep finally overtook him late into the night, was in hoping that whatever Healer Brock had discovered in her medical records, with any luck, would now quickly get corrected and bring her back to him.

* * *

A/N: Hmm... Jamison is not easily letting any of his anger go yet, is he? We are getting closer to her coming around, though. But they still need a big break to get the ball rolling on the "who" it was part that left her in such a state... I've been sent some interesting speculations as to who some people believe it to be!

Thanks as always for reading! :)


	38. An Act of Love

**Chapter 38**

**An Act of Love**

Darkness overwhelmed all things as a massive cloud passed by completely and the moon finally shone full upon them once again. They stood in a tight circle around Caterina with their faces hidden deep within their tall black hoods. The heavily cloaked leader started chanting in a language foreign to Severus as the others all began to move in unison, joining in the chant. An eerie sight to behold and something about it did not bode well in the pit of his stomach. Severus, wanting to ensure her safety, tried to break through the circle, pushing with all his might only to have a few of the followers turn and laugh rakishly at his efforts, though, even in his closeness he could make out no faces. He reached for his wand and, as he did so, their chanting and pace increased dramatically while the leader stepped forward, arms raised high over Caterina.

With a loud, ethereal scream sounding from all around, Severus watched in horror as the leader plunged a gleaming golden dagger straight down into her chest. On impact there came a blindingly brilliant flash of golden light that burst forth out of his Beloved's body and shot out like a wave in every direction, knocking all down except for Severus. Disbelieving his own eyes, he then watched as Caterina sat up on the ground, smiling and reaching both arms eagerly out, beckoning for him. The dagger vanished and her wound healed almost immediately, leaving behind no trace of ever having happened. Severus ran to engulf her in his arms but when he touched her, he felt a terrific jolt surge through his hand and he watched, horrified, as she faded away with the dark surroundings.

Severus suddenly forced open his eyes and realized Caterina was still safely being held within his arms as they lay on the bed at St. Mungo's. It had all been a disturbingly frightful dream. As he fought to shake off the ominous feeling left by it, and the grogginess from his body, he again felt her little hand twitch several times within his own. Severus felt himself calming at that, despite the fact Healer Brock had suggested those twitches were most likely an involuntary reflex and not a sign that she was any closer to waking.

He buried his head into her shoulder, kissing her several times before finally slipping off the bed and carefully readjusting her head back onto the pillow. The first glimmers of sunlight poked through the heavy window curtains as Severus contemplated what this new day might hold. So far, over the past few days, whatever Brock's speculations had been over the new information he'd discovered in her file had yielded no results to any of their counter spells and potions. Undaunted, though, the healer said they were quickly eliminating many possibilities and getting things narrowed down to just a few more unusual conditions, all of which he claimed were treatable.

Severus had spent countless hours sifting through his own mind for all knowledge of any medical conditions that could afflict muggles and wizards alike. While he was ultimately familiar with potions, poisons, antidotes and the properties of countless ingredients, his medical understanding he now deemed highly lacking. And not knowing what Healer Brock was now attributing her condition to, made it all the more unsettling. Many times, he'd come close to risking the use of Legilimency but the use of such on healers carried a heavy punishment. He refused any actions that would part him from Caterina's side.

As Severus strode toward the windows to pull back a curtain, there came a sharp knock at the door, which quickly opened to reveal Healer Brock and two ancient looking, white haired wizards. One was tall and slender, dressed in heavy velvet robes of navy, while the other stood rather short and wore shimmery robes of a deep artichoke green. The two older men seemed in awe as they pushed past Brock into the room and quickly stood surveying Caterina, one on either side of her. Brock simply shook his head, holding a slight smile, and met Severus in the middle of the room by the foot of the bed. Conversing in tones so low that Severus was surprised the one could hear the other, he watched for a moment before turning to Brock for an explanation.

"Unspeakables," he answered in a hushed voice.

Severus arched a brow in alarm while replying, "What are they doing here? What could they possibly want with Caterina?"

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure as they were very ambiguous and mysterious about it all. In fact, they contacted me about two hours ago demanding to see her, sighting that they'd come across her case quite by a happy accident-" Brock paused as he watched the two wizards withdraw their wands and poke at the air around Caterina.

The tall one laughed in a giddy manner. "Ahh… yes! Uno Protette! Finally, a live subject after all these years! "

"I can hardly believe it! Oh think of what can possibly be discovered through this," grinned the shorter one.

"Caterina is not a subject for you to test odd and untried spells on! She is a person!" cried Severus indignantly.

"Either calm yourself or remove yourself from this room," chided the wizard in navy, without so much as turning to glance at him. "Now someone please tell me, how many grown wizards has this _woman_ come into contact with - direct contact, that is, before she was brought here… actually, before she fell into this state."

Severus thought quickly to himself before answering. He knew the reputation of many Unspeakables - they were known for being highly unpersonable but at the same time brilliant in their work and theories. If there was even a slim chance that they could help her, he'd cooperate as long as they did not try anything wholly unethical or remotely dangerous on her.

"Three, for sure, that I am aware of: myself, my mother and Dumbledore."

"Only three? Well, we can rule you out for the obvious reason that you're still alive. Is your mother deceased?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Was she, by chance, with your mother at the time of her death?"

"No. Nor was she with Dumbledore," Severus quickly added.

"We know. This spell on her is at least several years old. But we should still confer with him all the same, see what he knows about it," explained the elderly wizard.

"Knows about what? And what spell are you referring to? And what would Dumbledore know about it?" asked Severus in a thin, impatient voice.

The tall wizard let out a disgusted sigh and pointed to Caterina in a grand sweeping gesture, "The deep and highly protective spell that is embedded within her. Can't you see its soft glow at times even? But no, of course you can't, not without proper training. It is of the rarest kind these days and would most likely protect her from even the Killing Curse, though we can't be sure without try-"

Healer Brock grabbed Severus by the back of his robes to keep him from lunging across the room to tackle the old man as he plainly said, "There will be none of that here, sirs, as this is a place where we hold all life in reverence and sanctity. Not to mention it is, as always, highly forbidden."

"Well of course we would never, I was just stating a simple fact over the matter," snorted the wizard dressed in navy robes.

Severus slowly fought away the rage as Brock released his grip. His mind was whirling with questions and he didn't know which ones to ask first. He did want to know more about this supposed protective spell.

"Tell me more about this spell and how you know it's there," he demanded, not caring what they thought of his tone.

The wizard in navy sighed, "I forget how uneducated today's youth are in the ways of the ancients." He ignored a derisive snort from Severus and went on. "Many, many centuries ago, Uno Protette, as this spell is now called, was somewhat popular in use to protect children or dear beloved ones, especially in the Orient and Egypt. It involves the greatest sacrifice, though, and as times changed and wizards and witches became hidden away and reclusive, its use fell by the wayside as it was not as readily needed anymore. It even passed from the general knowledge of most wizards for several hundred years."

Severus smirked sardonically, "We're all familiar with that spell actually. It encompasses love as its magical protective power and is what Lily Potter did when-"

The short wizard cut him off. "Yes, yes, we know that story well and what her tremendous act of sudden self-sacrifice did for Harry. It's a touching example of a mother's deep love. But while this spell works on the same principle of love being the catalyst, it is more powerful than hers by far because it was a planned self-sacrifice. One that takes careful planning and a very specific ritual. Think it through, will you: a great sacrifice, probably the greatest of them all, to willingly give up one's own life to provide an almost invincible protection to another. And it is for that very reason of selfless sacrifice that you just don't see this kind of powerful protection used these days."

"Are you saying that a witch or wizard sacrificed their own life in order to protect Caterina? And that she had to be with them at the time?" Severus asked, shocked over the implications of what he did not know.

"Specifically to protect _her _and while, she did not have to be directly in their presence at the time, it is what creates the strongest possible protection which is what I'm reading off of her," finished the tall wizard.

Severus stepped forward beside the bed and watched as the wizard ran his wand through the air about a foot above Caterina. At first he noticed nothing, then suddenly he saw the very faintest of yellow glows. Just as soon as it appeared to him, it vanished from sight again. For a moment it brought back his dream from earlier and the bright golden glow that shot out from her. Had he somehow been aware of it subconsciously all this time?

What unknown wizard could she possibly have come into contact with that would have chosen to give up their life in order to protect her? And how could they ever have known that she might need protecting? It was puzzling, and even almost terrifying at the same time, not knowing the answers. All these thoughts pointed in one direction - Dumbledore. It was under his suggestion that Severus first considered getting to know her which, in turn, lead to her becoming the love of his life. Dumbledore's portrait had to have some of the answers and Severus would do whatever it took to get them from him.

"I will go and discuss this with Dumbledore as soon as possible," Severus announced to them decisively.

To his surprise, the two old wizards nodded in agreement.

At that, Healer Brock finally stepped forward to speak. "So can we presume it's because of this protective spell that we cannot wake her?"

Both the Unspeakables shot their heads up to look at him oddly as they gave a collective, 'No.'

"But what is it then?" Severus asked in an irritable growl. "I was under the impression- "

"Yes, I figured you were under that impression but while the spell does ultimately protect her from an untimely death, it does not cause a state such as this." The tall wizard grinned and let out a small snort. "That would be a bit pointless, now, wouldn't it? To be protected from most anything but, at the same time, unresponsive?"

"But she was attacked. Maybe something went wrong-" Severus began to counter.

"No. Nothing went wrong and there are no spells keeping her as such. The only spells present are Uno Protette and the much weaker ones charmed into this trinket about her neck. Those were unnecessary but if you did not know, I suppose I understand," and he paused with a slight smirk. "And if she was violently attacked, as you say, the protective spell itself would have at some point repelled the attacker by emitting a large glowing force from within her body, causing those seeking to harm her intense pain."

Brock spoke up again. "Hmm… that would fit with the suggestion in the report that speculated the attacker broke off and fled, wouldn't it? But then why this lingering unresponsiveness?"

Finally the shorter wizard looked decidedly hopeful and said, "I just might be able to answer that if I could glance through her file. I have two or three likely theories for what might be causing this."

The healer flicked his wand over his shoulder and, in seconds, Caterina's file came whizzing into the room, straight into his waiting hand. He glanced apologetically at Severus before handing the file off and saying cautiously, "This is a private file. Do not speak of what it holds, not even in our presence."

Inferring his meaning, the old man took the file and flipped quickly through it.

"But of course!" he beamed in sudden excitement. "Aha! That was simple and just what I suspected it might be, though I haven't been aware of a case of this in a good fifteen to twenty years. And it always affects muggles much worse, poor things. I reckon if it's been going on this long, she'll need a rather lengthy course of treatment due to how long she suffered through it undetected. Those muggle hospitals would have not had the means to fix this."

He snapped the file shut and, handing it back to Brock, he added, "I will see that someone in the Department gets started on brewing a batch of Potion Twenty-seven today."

Severus glanced at Brock and could tell at once the healer was finally just as lost as he himself was. Brock stared at the folder in his hands for several long moments. What Severus wouldn't give to get his hands on that file.

Brock ran a hand through his blond hair before slowly musing out loud, "I'm not sure I follow you on this exactly…."

The old, short wizard let out an exasperated sigh and turned suddenly, causing his dark green robes to cast twinkling shimmers across the entire room as some of the fabric moved briefly through the sunlight streaming in at the window. Then he quickly conjured a small sheet of parchment with writing on it, which sailed smoothly through the air to Brock. The healer caught it and studied it intently.

"Wow. I actually did not even have that down as a possibility at the moment because you're correct, we rarely see that. And I'm guessing the potion for it is still classified so it can only be made by the Department of Mysteries personnel?"

"That's correct, just like all numbered potions and the rare afflictions they are used to treat. Rare as most of them may be, if word of any of them got out, why you'd have witches and wizards lined up here daily in a panic, convinced that they had half of them and that they were going to die."

Severus had just about stopped listening to everything else and was focusing on the fact that there was a potion now that they seemed positive would wake his Love. Finally.

He held up his hand and when they all stopped the chatter, he anxiously asked, "This Potion Twenty-seven, will she get it today?"

Frowning, the short wizard adjusted his cloak and replied, "I'm afraid not. It takes about three days to brew and ten days to cure to its maximum potency."

"Two _more _weeks?" Severus hissed through gritted teeth, clenching his fists.

"I'll make no promises but I will check to see if there is still any on hand, though if there is, it's rather old and may have lost much of its usefulness, but _you,_ especially, should know how highly unacceptable an old potion is to use."

When the two Unspeakables were gone, Brock shook his head and muttered, "Damn know-it-alls! But now we're going to actually get somewhere. I would have eventually come around to this, it just would have taken much longer."

Severus, while in complete agreement with him, couldn't help but feel a huge bit of relief sweeping over him. Arrogant as they might be, Unspeakables rarely failed to impress and live up to their job. And, despite the surprising amount of information they did share, they never gave their names, a very typical trait of the older schooled members from the Department of Mysteries.

Now just two more weeks of waiting at most, and less if there was a potion already on hand. It would normally never be his first choice either but he was quite done with all the waiting. Severus knew an older potion might not be as strong but it could still have a very positive effect on Caterina's condition. More than anything, though, he wanted to be the one to actually brew the potion to ensure its complete accuracy. Knowing that would never happen, he was resigned to trust the Unspeakables not to mess up.

Severus sat, holding Caterina's hand, like always, and spent a long while contemplating all that had been revealed in such a short time. It was still almost unbelievable to him about the Uno Protetto spell. Who had given her such a wondrous gift? He was soon reminded that he needed to seek out Dumbledore's knowledge in the matter. Though he hated the thought of leaving Caterina again, this was important. It would only be for a little while and hopefully Minerva would be willing to come and stay with her once more.

Carefully placing Caterina's hand back by her side, Severus drew his wand to cast his Patronus and send his request off to Minerva. It quickly appeared in its usual silvery mist to stand before him, though he stared at it for a full minute. It was not the doe he'd long been familiar with. What stood before him now was a sleek and agile jaguar. Severus threw his head back and outright laughed at the surprising yet pleasing form his Patronus now took.

* * *

A/N: Now that's some interesting and very unexpected information to digest! And finally, they're heading down the right track to getting Caterina awake! Severus should soon be seeing those favorite blue eyes of his Love!

Uno Protette means One Protected in Italian. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and the unfolding plot surrounding Caterina's illness! :)


	39. All That Matters

**Chapter 39**

**All That Matters**

Severus' visit with Dumbledore the next day yielded nothing extremely fruitful. Other than the old headmaster admitting he'd noticed the odd magical glow about Caterina and knew what it signified when he'd answered the door that fateful day she'd shown up on Severus' stoop and began the job of turning his world around. Severus felt sure he knew more than he was letting on but, no matter how he pressed Dumbledore, he got no other answers. In fact he ended up giving Dumbledore more information than he got for himself. And what was most infuriating was Dumbledore's response at finding out that she needed this Potion Twenty-seven.

"Really? Potion Twenty-seven? Are you sure that was the number?" he inquired of Severus.

"Yes," Severus hissed angrily, not even having to ask if Dumbledore knew what it was for now. "What can you tell me about it?"

"Well, nothing. It's all classified and I am familiar with its use from my time with the Wizengamot. It's for a rather rare condition, but, really Severus, put your extraordinarily keen mind to it and you should figure it out. I'm sorry she had to go through this but they are correct. Once she has had the potion for a while, it will never again be an issue."

"What? What will never again be an issue, damn it?" Severus even resorted to stomping his foot and pounding his fist for emphasis.

He felt as if he were getting absolutely nowhere. The urge to throttle someone or something was again growing rampant as it seemed like everyone but him knew what was wrong with his precious Caterina. It was utterly and insanely maddening. Damn that Jamison and his asinine request for extreme privacy and secrecy, leaving Severus in the dark and feeling like a foolish outsider to the woman he loved.

"Severus, my boy, this is something you can figure out quite easily. You're thinking on it too hard." Dumbledore gave a small chuckle. "Although I can see how you would overlook the simplest explanation in this case."

If Severus could have cursed the portrait of the former headmaster into oblivion he most certainly would have done so. Especially after catching the sympathetic smile mixed with a clearly mischievous twinkle in the old wizard's eye. He was contemplating his angry retort but, just as always, Dumbledore knew his few weaker points in life and adeptly changed the subject on him.

"Severus, what's this I hear about your Patronus changing? I must admit, I've always wondered when your mind would completely accept what your heart has known for so long."

That was akin to pouring ice over his fiery anger. Severus drew his wand to quickly produce and show off the new form. The sleek and silvery jaguar paced stealthily and watchfully around the office.

"Beautiful," commented the old headmaster. "One of the most noble and most powerful of the large cats, and a very worthy animal, indeed, to represent someone with the talents and characteristics such as you possess."

As the jaguar leapt onto the desk and struck a defensively crouching pose toward the portrait, Severus couldn't help but admire it again for himself.

"You're correct. It's been a long time in coming, I finally realized. I'd been having trouble with the Patronus spell for quite some time, though I hadn't attributed the problem to it possibly changing."

He stood thinking about all the many changes he'd been through during the last few years. None of them would have happened had it not been for Caterina being there and always standing by him. So much of it all could have ended badly had it not been for her in his life. Realizing he'd now received all the information that Dumbledore would give, Severus was anxious to return to Caterina.

Arriving back at St. Mungo's, Severus was surprised and almost scared to find the door shut but the sight of Minerva there quickly eased him again. All was as he'd left it. Minerva sat near the bed reading through a small book and Caterina looked, as ever, the beautiful sleeping beauty taking his breath away.

"Sorry if shutting the door gave you a startle, but there's been a commotion going on for the past hour or so. Somehow an animal got loose and was roaming the floors. Seriously, who brings their pet to a hospital, but I guess I've seen stranger things," she mused, shaking her head with a sharp 'tsk.'

Severus was taken aback and, looking highly concerned, asked, "What sort of pet? Has it been located?"

"Oh, a cat, well actually it was probably a kneazle. And yes, I believe it was found or it made its way back home. Such a ridiculous uproar over it all…."

Severus relaxed slightly more and briefly brought Minerva up to date on most of what he knew. She said little, just taking it all in, looking somewhat puzzled over the many unexplained events. With a pat to his arm, she promised to visit again before the weekend and then she was gone.

A short while later, Healer Brock came in with news dealing with the visit from the Unspeakables. He'd also inquired into the two wizards' names, the tall wizard being Thaddeus Aycock and the shorter one, Hilbert Hufferton. Neither were familiar sounding to Severus, though that was not unexpected.

"Well Severus, there's good news and some not so good news and I'll give you the worst of it first off, which you may be fine with. The stored potion in question for Caterina is indeed believed to be tainted now due to its age. They do figure trying it would not harm her, but it would not bring about near the results as a fresh potion."

He paused to gage Severus' reaction to this.

"No. As much as I detest this waiting, I won't risk it," he stated firmly.

"I told them as much. Now the good news is that, due to several advancements in potions since they last made a batch of number Twenty-seven, they've been able to shave about three days off the process. It was started this morning and they expect it to be ready by the first of June."

Though it didn't bring much comfort, any possible way to shorten the wait would be welcomed by him and this was encouraging. Severus stepped closer to Caterina and took her right hand into his. Brock surveyed him for a moment as it seemed like he was trying to remember something.

"Aha. That reminds me, I wanted to ask you about her left wrist. I came in earlier to check over some of her older injuries and I came across something not charted in her muggle records because it was apparently taken care of magically."

"What now?" he demanded.

"Well, it was broken at some point in time and repaired using magic, though I'm guessing it wasn't done by you?"

"No," Severus answered with a sharp growl, the alarm settling in once again in regards to the growing number of mysteries surrounding his Caterina.

"I didn't believe so because the repair was offset almost imperceptibly. While it may not be the easiest spell to repair a broken bone, it is certainly one I know you're quite capable of. Though it was not off enough to cause her any pain or problems, I did completely correct it."

Severus just nodded in thanks, trying to wrap his head about yet another unanswered question.

The next nine days unfolded like pure torture for Severus as he grew continually more impatient, waiting for the potion to finally be ready. He had to refuse himself from having any thoughts of it not helping her to keep from going utterly mad. Yet, at times, they crept into the deepest darkest corners of his mind.

Jamison and Detective Baker visited several times more and Minerva kept her word in returning as well. Jamison seemed the most relaxed that Severus had seen him in the past few weeks, once he found out about the new medicine that would soon be ready to help wake Caterina. There was still palpable tension between the two men, though Severus had finally dropped the idea of pressing Jamison for further information as to what had transpired in the past ten months. Rather now, he would soon be able to discuss it all with Caterina instead. She would wake soon. He had to believe that with all his heart.

The first morning of June brought a foggy, dreary rain and Severus was not encouraged by this. He'd barely slept the past few days as the time drew closer for Caterina to receive the potion and he found himself in an increasingly agitated state. When he occasionally drifted off into a slumber, it was fitful and filled with bad dreams and terrifying images of what might happen to his sweet Love, so he'd taken to even pacing the room to fight off sleep.

Just after seven, there came a soft knock at the door. Severus' heart jumped into his throat. He could not find his voice, so he crossed the room instead and opened the door. There stood Healer Brock with Unspeakable Hufferton, who, from the look on his face, seemed as though he were about to burst with excitement.

"After discussing the severity of the situation with Healer Brock here, I have prepared enough vials for four months of treatment. It's a bit longer than normal but, given the state of how bad off she was, it's a wise choice…." he said gravely. "One vial shall be administered today, then one a week from today and every two weeks following until October."

In a very rough, husky tone, Severus asked, "How long will it take? To see results…."

"Hmm. Honestly, that's a bit of guess-work. Usually progress is seen within twelve to forty-eight hours, but, then again, with the extreme toll it's taken on her, it could be longer or maybe not until the second dose even. Oh and I don't think I mentioned there will be some obvious side effects. Most patients were rather emotional, weak and tired feeling while on this and really it is advised that no other potions should be given so as not to counter this one."

Severus wondered if the man could possibly give any bleaker sounding news. Still, he'd be happy to have Caterina awake and interactive even if she might be more emotional. Hufferton stayed to observe Brock administer the potion then he turned to Severus once more before leaving.

"As you know, we will be in contact once she is fully back to rights again, to inquire more about the Uno Protette spell she holds. Perhaps she knows more than anyone knows," he offered with a gentle shrug of his shoulders. "Best of luck." Hufferton gave a small nod and quietly left.

Then the waiting began. Severus couldn't think of a time in his life when he had felt so on edge. Not even in all his years spying and holding the role of a double-agent, because even at that he still felt a certain amount of control remained in his grip. That was not the case now, though. Strong feelings of apprehension and nervousness over the unknown wrapped themselves up and coiled tightly in the pit of his stomach. And it all grew in size as he realized he'd also soon be introducing Caterina to the fact that he was a wizard. He wondered what kind of state she would wake in. Would she have a clear memory of the attack on her? While Severus desperately wanted the ultimate revenge, he almost hoped for her sake that she didn't. They would have to take everything one gentle step at a time. All he needed was for her to open her eyes. Again, he vowed to himself that he was never going to leave her side, ever.

As the hours passed by, Severus felt most calm when sitting by her, holding her close to him. He found his mind drifting back and remembering all the wonderful times he'd had with her and of the love she'd so eagerly given to him. He smiled at the memory of her kissing his cheek that very first time. The feeling that had soared within him when first holding her small hand in his. How she'd fit perfectly into his arms when he held her tightly, trying to soothe away her broken sobs and many tears. He thought of their first kiss and that first night they'd spent holding each other after finally declaring their feelings for each other. Then came the flood of emotions he had after they'd made love that very first time. Severus knew he was not complete without his Caterina and he held her tightly, willing with all his might for her to wake.

He tried hard not to count the hours as they came and went, but without even thinking, he instantly knew the number that there had been at any given moment. Night closed in around the windows and it was as though it sought to suffocate him with the wait. Sometime between the hours of one and two in the morning, he drifted off into the lightest of sleep.

Odd, scary and disjointed dreams danced rapidly behind his eyelids and with great effort he woke with a shiver, forcing them open once more. His black eyes found the clock at just after three, then they rested on his Love's face. It took a full minute for him to actually comprehend the slight movement of her nose and the gentlest twitch of her lips. Then Severus heard the most precious sound as Caterina let out a soft sigh. He was completely alert and awake now, watching anxiously, almost holding his breath, while remaining still so not to startle her in any fashion.

Several long minutes passed and finally he noticed her eyelids starting to flutter while she began shifting her arms and legs in the bed. When her right arm shot out with her hand hitting his solid chest, she slowly opened her eyes. It appeared to be a struggle for her to fully open them even though the lighting was very dim. But once Caterina's beautiful turquoise eyes found his gleaming black ones staring back at her, she forced them open, blinking rapidly as they watered.

Caterina hesitantly raised her hand to his cheek and softly murmured, "Severus?"

Severus felt so overwhelmed in hearing sweet voice that his own almost faltered. "Yes, Love. I'm here."

"Am I dreaming?" she whispered.

"No darling, you are not. I really am here. You're not dreaming at all, I promise."

He leaned forward to gently kiss her forehead and her sweet lips and found that his own eyes were watering, though not from the lights. When his lips met hers, she let out a tiny moan, trying to snuggle against him as tightly as she could manage, while his heart thrilled happily in the most unbelievable amount. After a few moments, he saw her eyes start to roam around the room.

"Severus, where are we?" she whispered.

"It's a long story but you're in a hospital. Everything is fine, though, and you're safe in my arms. That's all that matters. You being here with me and safe. That's the only thing that matters."

Severus kissed her forehead as Caterina closed her eyes and brought her head to rest against his. She reached up and stroked his face repeatedly with her soft fingers. He wondered how awake she really was and how much she was fully comprehending about her surroundings. Severus kissed her lips once more and then her nose, followed by each cheek.

She let out a very tiny giggle and whispered, "You do feel real. And warm… mmm and safe."

Then Caterina tilted her head back slightly and looked him over once more. It seemed her eyes were better adjusted to the dim light now and she smiled sweetly. It was that perfectly sweet smile that he'd been dreaming of seeing for the past ten months.

"Severus."

"Yes?"

But she did not reply. Instead, she buried her head into his neck and again pulled herself to him as hard as her weak arms could manage. Severus aided her in squeezing her tightly to himself. It wasn't long before he felt a few tiny drops rolling down his skin.

He gripped her face tenderly and pulled back away to look her in the eyes, carefully wiping her tears away with his thumbs. "Caterina, it's finally over. I'm here to stay with you and I'm never ever going to leave you again."

She sniffed and then let out a gasp. "You really mean that? It's over? And you're still alive?"

Severus chuckled softly. "Yes, I really mean it. It's over and I am very much still alive."

"Are you sure I'm not dreaming?" Caterina breathed.

Severus gently captured her mouth in his and kissed her the way he'd been longing to ever since he himself woke up, still alive and in the infirmary at Hogwarts. When he pulled away, he saw her blue eyes twinkling again with tears. That kiss, more than anything else, seemed to instill the fact in her that she was not dreaming and that Severus was indeed really there with her.

"Oh Severus! It's been unbearable without you," Caterina said brokenly, her whole body shaking in his arms.

"Shhh… I know, Love. I know," he reassured her. "I felt the exact same way, but it's over and we're together now. There's a lot to tell you but it can all wait until later, when you're more awake."

"You promise?"

"Yes, I promise to tell you everything... all the details, but starting with the most important thing of all."

"What's that Severus?" she asked in a whisper.

"I love you, Caterina Clarkstone," Severus said in his rich, velvety baritone. "I love you with all of my heart."

* * *

A/N: * Major SQUEAL* Caterina is finally awake! And now things can hopefully get rolling along better now... like finding out some long awaited answers! And… *complete swoon* Severus has said those very special three little words to her, at last. Not that she didn't already know, but it's wonderful to hear it, all the same! ;)


	40. Close to My Heart

**Chapter 40**

**Close to My Heart**

Severus carefully pulled Caterina completely to himself, making sure she was as comfortable as possible while she rested there, nestled against his body. He finally felt the most content he had felt since leaving her last August, despite all the unanswered questions still swirling around his head. It could all wait while they enjoyed this wonderfully sweet reunion at last. For the next few hours, Caterina drifted in and out of a light sleep, uttering his name many times. Severus' heart soared each time he heard her soft whisper and he squeezed her lightly, caressing her smooth skin and kissing her gently. Extreme relief washed over him now that she was coming out of this horridly long unconsciousness and most of his anxious anxiety began to ebb away.

As he held her, he thought through what she should be told first and decided, before anything else was discussed, Caterina needed to know and understand the truth about him being a wizard and of the magical world. In some ways, he did regret not telling her before now but he firmly believed that it had been in her best interest to keep her safe and protected from his dangerous world. Angrily, he remembered how it still wasn't even enough in the end and how close he'd been to losing her. Severus forced those thoughts from his mind to focus on the present. Caterina would forever be safe now and she was going to be well once this course of potions was over.

The first tiny bits of daylight began to streak across the sky when Caterina completely woke and appeared rather alert. Slowly she stretched her little body, rolling slightly away from him while letting out a long, somewhat weary sounding sigh.

She smiled serenely up at him, then she caught his hand in hers, bringing it to rest against her heart. "You really are here with me, I'm not dreaming?"

"No, you're not, Caterina," Severus answered while affectionately kissing her all over her face and neck as she giggled contentedly, to reiterate the fact that she was indeed not dreaming at all.

She clasped her arms around his neck and whispered, "I love you, Severus."

"And I love you, Caterina, more than I can possibly ever tell you," Severus breathed into her ear.

For a moment, it was as though the world had stopped and everything in it was perfect for them. His sweet Caterina was back and there could be no greater joy for him than having her. Severus quickly searched out her beautiful turquoise eyes and studied them intently. He had gone far too long without the pleasure of seeing them shining back into his gleaming black eyes.

"How do you feel, Love?"

Caterina looked thoughtful for a moment before answering, "Ok, I guess. Drained and weak feeling all over and I still feel rather tired but I don't want to sleep anymore right now. What happened Severus?"

He stroked her cheek with his thumb. "I'm going to explain it all to you but first I have to tell you something very important about myself that will be necessary for you to understand before anything else."

Caterina rolled closer, back toward him and placed her hand into his, with that sweet expectant smile he loved so much dancing on her face. His uncertainly over how she would take what he was about to share sent a short, stabbing fear through him. He would take it slow and very easy, being careful about how he said things.

"Caterina, there's a secret that I've always kept from you, not because I did not trust you but because I thought it would be the best way to keep you safe from my world," Severus began.

"Safe from what exactly? The group you were fighting?"

"From them, mainly, as they presented a large amount of danger toward anyone who crossed in their path. They would have thought nothing of killing you other than for the simple fact that you are not like us," Severus explained as gently as he could.

"Killed me for not being like you?" Caterina repeated with a shudder that ran throughout her body.

"Yes." He took her face into his hands, staring deeply into her sweet blue eyes. "I don't want you to be scared or afraid of me but, you see, I'm a wizard. I can perform magic, _real _magic, Caterina, not illusions at all but real, honest to goodness magic. I'll show you what I mean. "

Severus sat up completely, reached into his pocket and drew out his wand. With a quick flourish, he filled the entire room with deep, crimson roses. Another small swish produced a beautiful long-stemmed white rose that shimmered and hung in the air just in front of Caterina. It was very similar to the one he'd left for her at the cottage last summer.

He cautiously watched Caterina's face the whole time. She didn't appear to be frightened in the least by what he had done. Instead she gave a tiny squeal and clapped her hands together before suddenly reaching up and carefully taking the white rose in her fingers.

She brought it to her nose and drew in its rich scent before letting out a little giggle and sitting up next to him. "Well, it's about time you told me this, Severus Snape!"

Holding a wide, charming smile, Caterina punched him playfully in the chest, then leaned over and sweetly kissed him on the lips. Severus, whatever he had been expecting as her reaction, had not been expecting that at all. He had expected maybe some reservation and hesitation on her part and while he certainly did not want her to be scared of him, this was just a very peculiar outcome to his revelation. Maybe she was not as alert as he'd first thought her to be and he quizzically studied her face for a long moment. Caterina stared right back at him, her smile amused and her eyes giving off a tiny twinkle.

"What? What's wrong, Severus?" she asked reaching up tenderly to touch his cheek.

"Nothing exactly. You're just taking this much better than I thought you might."

Caterina gave the rose a little twirl and giggled once more before saying, "That's because… I - I already knew."

It was Severus' turn to be surprised and his mouth dropped open at the shock. He pondered what she'd just said for moment and just stared at her, half in disbelief.

"How- how did you… How could you possibly know?" he slowly asked in a stunned voice.

Caterina reached her small, white hand up and tenderly stroked his confused brow. "Your amazing and wonderful Mr. Dumbledore," she answered quickly, giving him a sweet smile.

"He told you? When?" Severus was blown away by that fact.

Caterina cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes slightly, in a confused way. "Ahh, I really don't know. It's all very hazy but I'm pretty sure it was… hmm… it was before we met that first time at your house. And he… he made it somehow so that I couldn't talk about knowing, until you told me first. I've always known in the back of my mind but wasn't able to say so… ummm… does that make any sense to you?"

Severus let out a small, angry growl over what the former headmaster had done, while drawing Caterina to his chest, kissing her forehead.

"Yes my Love, it makes sense and I will explain it better later. It also makes perfect sense for him, that ever-meddling man."

"It's always been a weird sensation, knowing but not being able to speak about it until you did. But I thought you would figure out eventually that I knew."

"How so?" Severus asked, feeling somewhat baffled.

Caterina brought her hands up to rest on his chest and chuckled. "Didn't you ever wonder why I never questioned how you got around? How you always seemed to appear at the house, at any given time? No car? Or how you always seemed to know where I was and then you would just 'happen' to run into me in the beginning?"

He tilted his forehead to rest against hers, gently gripped her smooth neck in his hands and let out a small, defeated chuckle, "Well, I see I was not as thorough as I always liked to believe. Are you- Are you angry with me, that I waited so long to tell you?"

"Of course not, darling. What would the sense be in that? I'll admit it was very frustrating at times but I somewhat understood the position you were in so… And Mr. Dumbledore explained that it was risky for me to know too much for the time being, so, well, there was really no reason to be upset over it, Severus."

Severus was curious to find out just how much Caterina had known. "Did you know what I really did, as far as working for Dumbledore against the group that I was once a part of and teaching at Hogwarts?"

"No. I honestly just pieced together things that you told me as best I could, with little things that your mother had said and from the tiny bit of information that Mr. Dumbledore must have explained to me." She stopped and frowned. "It's weird. I know _what_ I know, but I can't piece together the memory of being told and it's never been at the forefront of my thoughts. Is that normal?"

Severus looked thoughtful for a moment. Just when he believed he would finally be getting the answers to all the questions he had, now, instead, he had more questions that added to all the mysteries.

"Yes, Love, that can be very normal," he said reassuringly, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into his lap. "I'm not exactly sure which spell he may have used, but I will find out from him as soon as I can."

"How so? I thought he was-" Caterina stopped short, apparently scared for the first time over anything he had said thus far.

Severus realized that this also was something best to be explained later. In a short while, Brock or one of the other healers would be coming in to check on her progress from being given the first potion and he wanted to explain what he knew about why she was in there before that happened. He severely hoped that she could give him the reason for it - the information that Jamison had been so intent on keeping from him.

Reaching his other arm around her, he gave Caterina a comforting hug and kissed her temple.

"I will explain it all to you in detail later but, yes, while he is actually dead, there is a way to communicate with him." Seeing the alarm in her eyes, he realized how disturbingly creepy that must sound to her. "And it is in no way scary or frightening, I promise."

It was then that he realized just how much explaining he would have to do - from how differently most wizards lived compared to muggles to all about ghosts and the other such creatures that were believed to be mythical. He'd have to take it very slowly and ease her into it all carefully so not to overwhelm her and it would probably be best to start out by taking her to Hogwarts.

Caterina watched him carefully, slowly nodding her head and he knew that she trusted him. She always had. They both stared lovingly at each other for a few minutes until Severus decided he'd best remove all the roses. Letting go of her with one hand, he lifted his wand, making them quickly vanish, leaving behind only the white shimmery rose that lay across her lap. She seemed excited and intrigued now at watching him perform magic, so he indulged her a few minutes more by opening the curtains while causing several items to float lazily around the room. Then, finally, he conjured his Patronus. As it paced the room's length and turned toward the bed, Caterina laughed delightedly and reached out her hand in an attempt to touch the silvery form when the jaguar stalked over to her.

"Severus, it's beautiful!" Caterina exclaimed. "What exactly is it, though?"

"It's called a Patronus. I can use it to send messages to other witches and wizards, among other things."

They both watched as the beautifully silver jaguar dissolved into nothingness. Caterina hugged Severus tightly while resting her head against his shoulder and peered up into his face. Once again she reached up, stroked his cheek and ran her soft finger over his lips. He watched as her wonderful smile faltered.

"Oh Severus, I missed you so much. It was horrible being without you, absolutely horrible," she murmured as tears welled up in her eyes.

His heart ached over her sadness. "I swear to you Caterina, we will never be apart again for anything."

"We better not," Caterina sobbed, "because I know I'd go completely insane if it happened again."

Severus affectionately kissed her while gently wiping the tears from her pale cheeks as they spilled over her long dark lashes. Holding her quite protectively, he pondered how best to approach the next issue at hand but, before he could come up with anything, she beat him to it.

Giving a little sniff, she glanced around the room, beginning to take it all in. "I thought you said this was a hospital? Where are all the machines and monitors?"

"You're not in a regular hospital, my Love. Not one that you're familiar with, that is." Severus took a deep breath. "This is St. Mungo's. It's a wizard hospital that deals with magical related injuries and illnesses."

Caterina pulled her head back away from him in shock to search his ebony eyes. They now appeared sad as he observed her and she had an odd feeling that she knew why she might be there.

Cupping the side of her face, he spoke softly. "Something happened and you've been unconscious for quite a while. Jamison had you in the other hospital but they were making no progress in figuring it out so I had you brought here. It took longer than I hoped it would but the healers finally got it all sorted and are giving you what you need to correct the problem."

The tears suddenly returned while Caterina's face turned downward in grief and her lips began to tremble as she brokenly sobbed, "Was it be - because of the ba-baby?"

Severus froze as it all washed down over him like a flood of icy water. Everything fell into place and made complete sense now. He knew just what information Jamison had kept from him, though Severus had never once considered it as being a possibility. Dumbledore had been correct in telling him that he was searching for far too complicated an answer.

He tried several times to find his voice as it failed him. All he could manage was to tilt her sweet face up, and in a stunned whisper, he echoed her last word, "Baby?"

Caterina read his shocked expression as her little brow frumpled up and she quietly asked, "Didn't you know? Didn't Jamison tell you?"

Words still escaped him and he shook his head no.

Panic and apprehension were clearly written all over her face now as her tears flowed faster. "The doctors here didn't even tell you?"

He closed his black eyes and bowed his head to hers, speaking in a strained whisper, "No. Jamison and I are not exactly on the best of terms at the moment."

"What do you mean Severus? What happened? Tell me what's going on!" she demanded in a hushed voice.

"Ahh, when I first came back, he… well, he broke my nose in welcome."

Caterina gasped and covered her mouth in horror. Severus tried to explain as fast as the words would come to him and he could get them out.

"He was very angry and he had every right to be. I was gone for far too long. I should have tried harder to work out something different for us. I see that now. I never should have left you alone like I did. It's been a few weeks, though, now and he appears to be finally calming down."

"A few weeks? Severus, how long have I been-?" she stopped short and a fearful expression overtook her face.

He closed his eyes for a minute and quietly answered, "Almost three months."

Caterina gasped, "What's wrong with me? Why for so long?"

"I'm not exactly privy to that information thanks to Jamison. Tell me what happened, Caterina, with the - the baby."

Realizing that she was shaking all over, he tightened his hold around her in an attempt to steady her and to reassure her that everything would be fine.

"I-I figured out a few weeks after you left that I was pregnant. I don't know why it was so surprising because, well, we never really did anything to prevent it from happening necessarily but it was still a shock to say the least."

Severus half smirked at that because she certainly was right. They had been so caught up in enjoying each other in their time together finally, that it had never even crossed his mind. And he had always prided himself on being so thorough and prepared for everything. Here, now he'd realized he could blame no one but himself for what had befallen his sweet Love. Severus could easily tell that it hurt her to talk about this but she knew that he needed and wanted to know and Caterina continued in a sad, trembling manner.

"The news of our baby really helped take my mind off of missing you so much. It was… was very unexpected but I was so excited and, before long, Jamison helped me get started on redoing one of the rooms for him. I never found out for sure, but I felt convinced the baby was going to be a boy. Just a few weeks before I was to find out, though, I-I…. It was around the beginning of December."

Caterina paused a moment, took a large gulp of air and closed her eyes as the tears turned to a steady stream, pouring down her cheeks. "They said there wasn't anything they could do. It-it was some kind of issue between my blood and the… the baby's blood… but they said it was a really rare disorder and they couldn't research it more without a sample from you as well."

She lost all of her strength and Caterina let out a strangled sounding sob and Severus gripped her lovingly in his arms with all his might. His heart ached to see her so upset and distraught. And he couldn't help but wonder if he'd been there for her like he should have been, would things have happened differently?

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" she whispered tearfully.

Severus felt absolutely horrible over her having to endure it all on her own. "Caterina, my sweet Love, you have no reason to be sorry. It was in no way your fault. There's nothing that you could have done. I should have been there for you."

Gently rocking her in his arms for a long while, Severus soothed her many tears with tender kisses. When she had calmed sufficiently, he noticed she was shifting around in his lap and pulling up her little gown. Caterina leaned back and he realized what she was getting at. Severus bent forward, tugging at the side of her panties to help her and there he saw another name, now added along the top of the enchanting little tree tattoo - it was his own.

Caterina offered him a somber smile. "I had to add him. He's just as special to me and as close to my heart as the others are."

* * *

A/N: Severus just learned a few surprising and shocking answers to a few of his questions. (And just in case you may have missed it, there is a tiny hint, hidden in chapter two that alludes to the fact that Caterina knows just what Severus and Dumbledore truly are.)

For a bit of clarification from a few questions by my sweet reviewers: losing the baby did **not** give Caterina the strong protective spell. It had to be someone capable of making a conscious choice as well as being able to perform the complex spell work involved. We'll soon get to the truth!

Thanks as always for reading and for your comments! Wow! Can't believe we're up to chapter 40! :D


	41. Never Letting You Go

**Chapter 41**

**Never Letting You Go**

While Caterina gradually calmed and snuggled tightly against him, Severus began the extremely difficult task of wrapping his mind around the idea of a baby. He wondered how he could have been so stupid as not to figure that out for himself. It was clear as crystal, though as to why he'd never made the connection before now. It was because he had never once wanted nor desired children of his own. He and Caterina had never discussed them - having them or preventing them.

Strangely enough, he now noticed within him a tiny seed of sadness over the loss of this little life that he had known nothing about. A new thought formed in his head as he realized he had almost become a father. It was a scary and fearful thought but it tugged at him in an oddly unusual way. Seeing how she reacted while telling him made it clear to Severus that it had been something that Caterina had truly felt elated over and excited for. Given that, he certainly had quite a large amount of thinking to do over the matter.

As Severus predicted, Healer Brock came in just after eight that morning. Caterina lay sleeping peacefully in his arms and, for a moment, Brock assumed there had been no change as of yet. Once Severus carefully untangled himself from her to stand, she stirred, blinking several times, adjusting to the brightness of daylight streaming generously through the windows. After a few minutes of allowing her fully wake, Severus made the proper introductions.

"I'm most overjoyed and pleased to finally make your full acquaintance," began Brock, holding out his hand to her, "and to see your lovely eyes open at last, Ms. Clarkstone."

She smiled weakly. "Please call me Caterina."

Brock simply nodded and returned a warm smile, "Now I trust that you've had a chance to explain some things to her, Severus?"

"Yes, she's aware of and very understanding of magic. Thanks to Dumbledore," he paused, adding the last part almost under his breath. "And I am now aware of the- the ba- baby."

Severus hadn't intended for it to come stuttering out like that but it had none the less. The idea was so utterly and completely foreign to him still. Brock appeared very pleased as well as relieved to hear this and he walked over to the bed, perching just on the very end of it near her feet. Severus moved back over to sit beside Caterina.

"Very good. It's a relief to hear that, believe me, I hated keeping you in the dark like that after everything you've been through and it would not have been my choice, seeing that you were the father, but he had his reasons. Now that you know, let me fully explain what happened. I've had the unique experience of spending the past few weeks researching this out in the muggle medical field so I could best explain it in your terms as well, Caterina."

She gave a small appreciative grin while reaching for Severus' hand. He scooted even closer, wrapping an arm behind her, resting his hand securely around her waist and interlocking his other hand through her fingers. There had been a time when he would have wanted no one to see such a display on his part toward anyone but the time he'd spent utterly broken, thinking he'd lost her, gave him that push over the edge to no longer hold everything back. He certainly did not plan on proclaiming his love for her by gratuitous displays of lavish affection but these simple gestures would more than suffice in showing others they belonged together and to each other. Most of all, Severus was certainly not ashamed to admit love had finally found him his heart.

Healer Brock cleared his throat and began. "Caterina, are you in any way familiar with what is known as the Rh or Rhesus factor and how it can adversely effect pregnancy?"

Taking a moment to think it over, she nodded. "Yes. The doctors explained it in detail when…um…. Well, it has to do with a protein carried with the blood cells and you can be either positive or negative. But they seemed to rule that out as… as a reason," she finished with a confused frown on her lips.

"That's essentially correct. What happened to you is quite similar, though there is no real muggle explanation for what they found. They rarely see cases of it, so those doctors probably wrote it off almost as an odd glitch along the lines of the Rh factor."

"Are you- are you saying that Severus and I are too incompatible to have- " Caterina couldn't bear to finish the thought out loud and her voice had dropped to a frightened, trembling whisper.

"No. Not at all," Brock hastily answered, giving her a sympathetic smile. "We've identified what it is and have started you on a round of potions, ah, medicine if you will, that, once finished, will have completely corrected the problem. I'm just sorry to say that it took us so long to properly diagnose it for what it was: Cruor Compositus. A old fancy name that means a blood matching disorder. It is a extremely rare occurrence that is usually much worse in muggles for some reason." He gave her a small reassuring pat on her ankle before continuing. "The blood discrepancy continued after the miscarriage and created a toxic build-up over time of what muggles call antigens in your blood that couldn't be processed by your body and, in turn, started to completely wear you down as it was let go, untreated."

Brock turned to Severus and briefly studied his face before addressing him, "You happen to be a carrier and will need to take at least one, if not two doses to be safest, of a similar potion to correct that and to keep from passing the trait on to your future children."

Severus slowly nodded, eyes wide again at the thought of children - their own children - and was still unsure of what he thought on the whole idea. Severus felt Caterina's hand squeeze his tightly. He took in the somewhat somber expression she held and wondered what her thoughts were on the matter.

Caterina spoke a little clearer, "So what you're saying is that once Severus and I've taken all the medicine, things will be fixed and we would have no more issues with…with getting pregnant?"

"Once the potion has completely restored and cleansed your blood, you will have absolutely no problems carrying a pregnancy to full term," answered Brock.

Caterina let out a happy sounding sigh at this information and smiled up at Severus. He quickly forced an agreeable grin on his own face for her and squeezed her in his arm.

Healer Brock cleared his throat once more and added, "Let me warn you; you'll not feel your best at all while taking this potion. It greatly affects moods and leaves a constant tired feeling while it reworks your blood and hormone levels. You'll be entirely glad to be off of it in time. We'll also occasionally test your blood every few weeks to make sure the potion is returning everything to normal."

Caterina and Severus both nodded at him, silently taking it all in. Brock stood and slowly pulled out his wand, to which Severus also released her from his hold and stood as well.

"Now, if you're ok with it, I'd like to check over your vitals. I'll be using my wand though, not any of the types of instruments that you may be used to seeing. I can assure you that you will feel nothing."

She gave a sidelong glance at Severus who gave her an encouraging smile and shook his head in an affirmative manner.

"Just lie back and relax. Yes, like that," he commented while slowly waving his wand about a foot above her body in a graceful, fluid-like motion. "You probably feel quite weak as far as your muscles are concerned, since you haven't used them in so long. We've used several spells and potions to keep you from losing all tone and so that your muscles did not atrophy. That's how you were able to move right away with only a minimal amount of resistance."

Caterina watched him with look of wonder as hundreds of unanswered questions about the magical world flew around in her head like a mass of hovering birds. She didn't know what to ask first so she just continued to observe his actions for the present. Brock persisted in his analysis for several minutes longer, offering explanations as to what he was checking before he finished. After suggesting to Severus that he attempt to help get her up and mobile, the healer said he would go compare his findings against the last set and be back again in a little while.

Severus eagerly helped her off the bed and into standing position, all the while keeping a firm grip around her thin waist. She'd always had a trim figure, but it had not escaped his notice how the past three months of being unconscious had slimmed her down in an unhealthy fashion.

Caterina closed her eyes for a moment as her head bobbed lightly and she braced her hands against his chest, murmuring, "Ohhh, I'm feeling a touch dizzy."

"I've got you, my Love. You won't fall, I won't let go. Just stand still for a moment until you regain your sense of balance."

Caterina leaned forward and rested on his chest until the sensation passed and she could open her eyes once more. Severus tilted his head down and stole several kisses from Caterina, causing her to giggle cheerfully, rewarding him with his favorite sweet smile.

"Ready to try yet?" he asked softly, caressing his hands up and down her arms and back.

"I think so."

He remained in constant contact with her, gradually relaxing his grip as she grew steadier. It did not take too long until she was walking, stable and unfaltering, albeit she kept to a slow space. Severus held her hand securely and kept his other arm ready, poised behind her back. Finally Caterina stepped completely away from him to traipse lightly along the length of the room by herself.

Making her way back over to where he stood, she wrapped her arms around him, letting out a long, satisfied sigh, "It actually feels really nice to stretch out. Doctor, I mean, Healer Brock is right. I do feel weaker, less toned. I can tell I'll need to start working through some old ballet strengthening exercises. That definitely should help."

Severus looked down at her, the concern evident deep within his dark eyes. "Tell me what I can do to help, Caterina."

She looked up at him with clear, sparkling eyes. "I just need you with me, Severus. No more leaving. Ever."

"I already promised you that, my Love. Never ever again, no more leaving. I'm never letting you go," he reassured her again, leaning down to kiss her sweet rosy lips before sighing contentedly himself. "Jamison will probably be showing up in a little while and there are several more things that I need to explain to you before he comes."

Caterina took some time to shower and freshen up. Then she was all too happy to dress in some clothes that Jamison had left for when she finally woke. Severus was overjoyed to see her long, chestnut curls finally released and framing her beautiful face at last. Pulling her into his lap, he held her, sitting on the edge of the bed and he couldn't resist repeatedly running his fingers through her soft curls for several minutes.

Severus knew he could not stall forever in telling her about the attack and finding out if she remembered anything about it at all. He understood that she was already in a fragile emotional state, not only from the potion but from discussing the baby with him. That had brought all the sad memories to the forefront of her mind now. In some ways, Severus wondered if she would blame him for what had happened, for he felt he was to blame since he had seemingly abandoned her.

Explaining the attack to Caterina proved to be one of the hardest discussions he'd ever had in his life. He tried to be as gentle and loving as he possibly could without letting his extreme anger get the best of him. But how much could one play down the fact that two people were killed and that she appeared to have been left for dead, not to mention what they thought the attacker's intentions had been with her? Somehow he managed to get through it all, including how he'd gone looking for her and then the arrival of the detective who had temporarily misled him into believing that she was dead, before ending with his interesting meeting with Jamison in the hospital and getting her transferred.

Caterina remained almost silent, taking in what he was telling her, as though it were all about someone else. It didn't seem possible for it to be true as she had no memory of any of the events Severus described. But she trusted him implicitly, and tried to accept what he told her. Caterina sat, leaning against him for support over how weak she felt once more.

"I just don't remember anything, Severus," she gasped softly. "And from the sounds of it, I don't think I want to."

"I know, my Love. What's the very last thing you do remember, before waking up here?" he pressed lightly.

"Ahh…." Caterina closed her eyes and scrunched up her face, thinking hard. "Umm… Being with Jamison at the cottage… Maybe we were getting ready to go to the mansion?"

"It's all right. Trust me, I will catch whoever did this and well, frankly, I'll kill him for even thinking he could lay a finger on you," Severus said quite vehemently.

Caterina sank back into his arms and whispered softly, "You know darling, it probably should alarm me, hearing you say something like that but I actually find it somehow comforting."

Severus felt shocked yet relieved to hear her say such a thing. He would do anything for her and her protection, though he knew, thankfully, that this time he would never be leaving her. Those days were over and gone.

Gradually, he steered the conversation away from the attack for the time being, knowing they were bound to come back to it many times while they attempted to discover who had been behind it. Severus began to tell her more about magic, while thinking of several fun spells and charms he could show her, hoping to distract her mind. And it worked as she began to slowly relax while watching and listening to him.

After a little while, Caterina sat up in his lap and turned toward him, placing her hand on his chest, giving him a quizzical look, "Severus, does Jamison know?"

"Know what?"

"About magic. Did you tell him?"

"No. I haven't told him. I wanted you to know first. Plus, if he has his secrets, can't I have mine?" Severus offered with a playful smile but his rich, deep voice half betrayed how begrudged he still felt over being left out by Jamison's decisions. "Do you want him to know now or would you rather wait? I'll let you decide."

He could see her thinking through her decision carefully. Gently, he drew his fingers soothingly up and down her back as he waited patiently for her answer.

"It's all so much… I just... I'm not sure about anything anymore," she started in a small, frustrated voice. "Maybe it would be best to wait and tell him later. I barely understand things about you myself, Severus… and everything else is just…."

A pang of fear stabbed his heart over her words and he had to see her eyes, her face. He had to know, he needed to understand. Gently, he cupped her face and tilted her face up to search out her meaning.

Caterina clearly read the look of doubt and worry marked on his features and slid her hands around his neck, leaning in to kiss him and nuzzle her nose to his.

"I'm sorry, Severus. I didn't mean it like that," she whispered, stroking his cheek. "I love you. That's the only thing I am certain about at the moment."

Relief washed over him like a cooling rain. He said nothing but only kissed her passionately, before finally pulling away and burying his face into her sweet scented curls, resting against her neck and engulfing her into a crushing embrace. They stayed that way, holding each other until a loud knock sounded at the door. Severus reluctantly slid her back onto the bed from his lap, quickly withdrew his wand and conjured several hospital room style chairs.

Once his wand was stowed away, he turned and kissed her swiftly on the forehead, then loudly announced, "Come in."

The door swung open and Caterina watched as Jamison hesitantly stepped in. Seeing her sitting up and smiling caused him to stop suddenly and the person following him narrowly missed knocking right into him. A look overtook Jamison's face that she hadn't seen in years. It was happiness, joy and delight, mingled with relief, anxiousness and surprise. Quickly getting over the shock of her awake, he rushed forward past Severus and practically lifted Caterina off the bed in his enveloping bear hug. She hugged him back weakly and patted his back.

Jamison let out a barely subdued gasp, almost choking on his words, "Oh Caterina, dearest! I thought you'd never come back to us! I've been so worried."

Severus couldn't help but notice his use of the word 'us' and that slightly softened his ongoing resentment toward the man who had only ever taken the best possible care of Caterina over the years. Jamison had been there for her in the times that Severus couldn't be and even unknowingly there for her the time Severus had refused her friendship. Forgiveness never came easy to him but he knew he could not continue to hold his embittered feelings for long.

Staying somewhat in the background, he allowed Jamison time to hover over her. After the general round of questions asking how she was feeling, and several more affectionate hugs, he gave Severus a sideways glance, nodded agreeably at him and stepped a few feet back from Caterina.

"I'm glad we went with your doctors, odd as this place seems. Who knows how things would be if she'd stayed at the other hospital. Not that I understand much as far as the field of medicine goes but this place does seem much more proactive when it comes to a challenge. Though for some reason, I have the hardest time finding this place unless I'm with Detective Baker here. "

Severus stepped forward, slipping his arm around her waist once again, enjoying the warmth of her small hand on his as her fingers entwined his own. Caterina gave Severus a charming smile as Jamison looked on, beaming with happiness in seeing that there was obviously no love lost between the two, despite their long absence.

Upon hearing his name, the detective dressed in plain clothes cautiously advanced closer to Caterina. He'd been staying back by the door, allowing Jamison have his moment of reunion with Caterina.

Jamison quickly made their introduction, and explained with a smirk that Detective Baker had been the only person to make real headway on the case involving her. Catching the sight of fear and trepidation on her face, he stopped suddenly, looking to Severus for verification that she even knew of what he was talking about. Severus nodded to indicate that she did, though Jamison realized he had no idea how she may have handled the news.

Caterina reached over and touched his arm, giving him a sad smile, "It's ok Jamison, I just don't remember anything at all."

Detective Baker appeared almost crestfallen at hearing that and turning to Severus, he asked, "There are several ah, well things that can be done to help her memory though, aren't there?"

It took all of Severus' control not to angrily snarl at the man. He was well aware of many different approaches that could be used in forcing her memory to return but knowing it would cause her the pain of reliving the event made him disregard those options for the present. As much as he sought revenge upon the attacker, Severus wanted Caterina to have sufficient time to ease back into things without the horror of those events intruding upon her memory. There were other ways to discover who had been behind it and Severus had not even come close to exhausting those measures. If she could be protected from remembering, he didn't mind the time it might take to track down the criminal by other means. Above all else, Caterina came first.

Soon Jamison settled into one of the conjured chairs, scooted closer to Caterina and began filling her in on random and trivial happenings with the company as well as a few friends and acquaintances. The detective, feeling a bit out of place and knowing now was not the time to question her, wandered off in search of some coffee. Severus sat quietly with Caterina, just listening to the small talk between them for awhile as his mind drifted in and out of what would be best for Caterina once Brock released her from St. Mungo's.

There came a small rap at the doorway and they all looked up to see Healer Brock back once again. Jamison jumped up and was quick to thank him repeatedly for all his and the others' tireless efforts in successfully figuring out what to do to help Caterina. They talked for several minutes until Brock mentioned that he had some paperwork to go over with Severus. Caterina reluctantly let him go even though he promised he would be just outside in the hallway.

Jamison, sensing her distress, stepped over and sat by her on the bed as Severus and Brock exited the room. "You know, I don't think he's left your side for one second since he's come back, Cat. Admittedly, I was pretty harsh on him at first but now I see my worries really were greatly misplaced, and thankfully so."

"I heard a little about that, Jamison," Caterina said softly, giving him a knowing look. "What made you so worried about him? You were just as aware of how long he might be gone with no contact as I was. Not that it was by any means easy at all…."

Jamison took her hand, "I just… well, I was just afraid that suddenly he'd leave again once he found you in such a condition. Deep down I knew he wouldn't, but I don't know… something just exploded inside me when I first saw him back, thinking over all that happened and, though it wasn't his fault, I felt better I guess, blaming him for awhile. Blaming him for not being here with you and blaming myself for leaving you that day."

Caterina sighed and squeezed his hand, "I imagine it couldn't have been easy, with me like that…."

"I know it wasn't exactly fair about keeping the baby a secret from him, but honestly Cat, I didn't have any idea how to break that to him." Jamison paused, struggling for the right words, "And the more I thought it over, I just felt it wasn't even my place or a doctor's place to be the one to tell him. The two of you have just endured so much…. I hate being the guy with all the bad news all the time."

Caterina chuckled softly, "Jamison, you know there's times I've never understood how you put up all with all these frightfully horrid dilemmas that I have found myself in over the years. Each time something's happened, I'm half afraid you'll give me a formal letter of resignation."

"Caterina Suzette Clarkstone! You know I would never do such a thing! You are like a daughter to me and always will be. No matter what comes along. I'm just glad I'm not actually old enough yet to be your father." he added with a grin. "I have never considered your well-being a job. Don't you dare think that!" He reached around her and pulled her into another sharp hug until she squealed.

"I know that, and I don't know where I'd be without you Jamison." Caterina whispered, tears dancing lightly behind her eyes as she squeezed him back.

After a long, silent moment, Jamison let her go with a playful laugh, "Course, as soon as you're released and the two of you are happily settled again, I'm out of here! I'm taking a nice long vacation. _Very long. _Out of the country, some place sunny, warm and tropical!"

Caterina giggled, "You definitely deserve it, Jamison."

Jamison clasped her hand in both of his, leaning closer to her. "Caterina, he loves you, more than anything. He doesn't say much but I can see it in every look and touch. You know I was quite dubious at you even befriending him at first but I've never been happier to have been proven wrong, like I was about Severus." He looked thoughtful for a second, "You know, you still have never told me what that task was you had that involved him way back- "

"You're right but I will, someday soon, I promise," Caterina said with a wink. "It's partly responsible for bringing us together."

"Hmm… I suspected as much. Oh and Cat, I'm going to just assume that he was with you in getting that tattoo. That's not something I want to hear that you did all alone," he said with a disapproving raised brow.

"Umm, mostly. How did you- ?"

He held up a hand, "Relax. I didn't see it but a nurse from the other hospital asked who they were. Took me a while to remember Eileen was his mother's name. I was surprised to hear she was on there."

"Like I said, I promise to explain. Did- Did you figure out that Severus was actually on there for the… baby? I had him added a few months ago."

"You don't have to explain Cat, I understand." Jamison said quietly, ducking forward to plant a fatherly kiss on her forehead.

Severus soon returned with a smooth, thoughtful look on his face. Jamison stayed a little while longer. He and Severus even chatted for a time, both appearing to mutually put their awkward and unnecessary grudges to rest now, if for no other reason than for Caterina's sake. Jamison and the detective left, with the promise to return in a few days.

Once they were gone, Caterina pulled Severus close and timidly asked, "What did Doctor Brock really want? Is something wrong, Severus?"

"Not a thing, my Love. He just wanted to go over a few of his findings - there was nothing wrong with any of them. And he said that after your next dose on Saturday, we can finally leave," Severus replied with a growing smile.

"Really?" Caterina squeaked excitedly, wrapping her arms around his neck. "To me it doesn't seem like I've been here long at all, of course, but I'm sure you're ready to leave, darling."

"You have no idea - but I was only ever planning to leave with you." He kissed her and then cocked his head with a mischievous grin, "How would you like to go stay at Hogwarts for awhile?"

Caterina gasped. "You mean that? I finally get to see it?"

"Yes, I do. It's rather a beautiful place in the summertime, mainly because all the students are gone though," he admitted with a smirk, as he pulled her completely to himself.

Caterina was absolutely delighted about the thrilling prospect of visiting the magical school and that made Severus very happy. He had a lot of explaining and preparing to do for her over the next several days. After contacting Minerva and alerting her to what needed to be done for Caterina's arrival, Severus devoted a lot of time to fully familiarizing her with magic. There were quite a few things he needed to tell her about so that when she saw them, she would not be scared senseless. Most importantly, he now had the time to be able to tell her the truth about what and who he had been fighting against all these years.

Severus spent the whole of the next day explaining about Voldemort, the Death Eaters, Harry Potter and the final Wizarding War that had ended only a couple of weeks before. The emotional interference from the potion could plainly be seen as she teared up many times and cried over much of it, breaking out into sobs and fiercely clinging to him when she found out how dangerously close he had come to death.

For a long while she seemed so inconsolable, he feared he may have to consult with Brock on whether or not it would be advisable to use a basic Cheering Charm on her. Eventually, with his gentle coaxing, she got a grip on herself, calming enough to even joke about how she was clearly overreacting since the dangers were all past now for him. But for the rest of the night she retained a firm hold on him in any way that she could, as though she were afraid he'd disappear in front of her very eyes if she let go.

Glad to have the absolute worst of it all out of the way first, Severus explained a lot more about the magical world in general, including some of its colorful history, Hogwarts and what exactly he taught over the next few days. She did much better at controlling her emotions most of the time but there were several rather random explanations that oddly brought her to tears, such as the reason why people became ghosts. It surprised him at how well she remembered many of the details and would make connections about things he'd shared on a previous day as she eagerly soaked it all in.

Jamison visited again for a few hours on Wednesday, and on Thursday they ventured out past the hospital floor that she'd been on. Caterina did very well handling her first introduction with talking portraits and moving photos in The Daily Prophet. Then Severus took her to watch several witches and wizards use the Floo Network in the reception area while steering her clear of any persons with wild looking ailments. They even stepped outside St. Mungo's so she could see how it appeared to muggles. It greatly pleased Severus to see her so happily mesmerized by it all.

While they were outside, he realized it was her first time out in fresh air in three months, not that downtown London should be considered ripe with the freshest air. He decided then to make sure they spent plenty of time exploring and enjoying the grounds around the castle once there for the summer. When they had been talking that day in the hallway, Brock had agreed that Hogwarts was the best place to take Caterina for the time being . He recommended that she be someplace open with others around her and with very few pressures from outside influences. Being alone too much would not bode well in her risen emotional state. Plus, if any set backs were to occur with her condition, however unlikely, they would at least be close to the infirmary and a well-stocked potions lab.

Each evening, Caterina struggled to stay awake, wanting to continue talking with Severus, despite the fact that she often took several naps during the daytime when she felt the most played out. Anxiously, he worried if this tiredness would get worse with each dose. Brock explained to them that usually the first three days had the worst part of the side effects and that they should lessen each day to some degree, at least until the next dose was taken.

Friday brought another visitor, this time in the form of Minerva McGonagall. She had been particularly excited to meet Caterina finally. Due to Severus' general predisposition to rarely disclose any more information than was absolutely necessary, she had no idea of what to expect about the young woman or her personality. She had determined that, even if the girl were entirely unwelcoming, she would do her best to endure it for Severus' sake. Her knock at the open doorway that morning surprised Severus as he'd thought she'd decided to wait until they arrived at Hogwarts now to meet Caterina.

"Good morning," she chimed brightly to them both, while keeping an almost fixed gaze on the pretty girl, dressed in muggle clothes, sitting perched on the bed's end.

Caterina smiled cheerfully and happily chirped, "Hello."

Severus stood and nodded at the older woman. Right away he could read her expression as one waiting to be impressed but trying not to show it. He was entirely confident that Minerva would find Caterina impressive and delightful. And no doubt she would be completely engrossed with discovering how they had come together, as unlikely as it seemed. Severus smirked as he could just imagine the variety of shocking rumors that must already be flying amongst the Hogwarts staff about him, the embittered, emotionless, hard-hearted and friendless Potions Master.

After introductions were made, Minerva explained her visit. "I was just in the area and thought I'd stop by quickly, introduce myself and make sure everything is arranged for your travels to Hogwarts tomorrow."

Caterina, knowing just who the taller, imposing-looking woman dressed in green tartan robes was, warmly welcomed her visit, eager to meet the witch. She knew the woman had played a large role in saving Severus, and that alone already endeared her to Caterina without having ever met her.

Minerva kept her visit brief, but left positively enchanted by this love of Severus Snape's. She was in no way anything like what Minerva could ever have imagined. And this encouraged Minerva more than ever before to help aid in whatever way she could in finding out who had hurt the sweet girl. Hogwarts would prove to be all the more interesting with her around. With a suppressed chuckle she headed off to chat with Albus, wondering just how much of a change would be visible in the once surly Potions Master.

Severus woke extra early on Saturday, somewhat nervous about Caterina's second potion dose. He tried to busy his mind while she continued to sleep, looking so sweetly like an angel. After kissing her soft lips, he collected most of their belongings and had them packed with several waves of his wand. Then he held his sleeping angel until she stirred. Severus requested that she be given the potion early in the morning so they did not have to linger at the hospital any longer than necessary that day. He was entirely ready to have this whole ordeal behind them and to get Caterina settled comfortably at Hogwarts.

Brock arrived at the scheduled time with the potion. Caterina made a rather twisted face over its taste but she didn't complain. The healer checked her over one last time and finally pronounced her free to leave. Caterina gave him a tearful hug, thanking him for all that he and his staff had done. Then before she knew it, Severus blissfully whisked her out St. Mungo's front doors into the ever-inviting morning sunlight. They were bound for Hogwarts at last.

* * *

A/N: Just wanted to take a moment and say a huge thanks once again to all my faithful readers and reviewers as well as welcome the new ones. Ya'll are the very best! I hope every one of you continue to enjoy Caterina and Severus' story as it unfolds and we begin to get some long-awaited answers. This chapter was rather long compared to the last few but I was having so much fun, I just kept writing and writing - I hope you're pleased with all that it brought! Plus, I was determined this chapter would not end until Caterina and Severus stepped beyond the door of St. Mungo's! Thanks for stopping in to read and sharing your thoughts. Have a wonderful day my lovely readers!

~Wendy:)


	42. A Magical Journey

**Chapter 42**

**A Magical Journey**

In the wee hours of the morning, Minerva bolted upright in her bed, clasping a hand to her chest and gasping several times until her heart rate slowed its frantic pace, returning to a calm normality. As she closed her eyes, momentarily resting back against the pillows, a flood of oddly assorted and disjointed images flashed about in her mind. It had been a wild and violent dream that woke her, leaving a hauntingly scary echo to reverberate throughout her.

A barely conscious thought began to form around the edges of her keen mind. She knew suddenly there was something that she needed to remember, something important. It would serve to bridge and unite many elusive events. But clarity only lasted a brief moment in the dream, for, as sure as it had come, it slipped right back away, taunting and teasing her in the dark morning hours. Sleep was now lost for her and soon she found herself strolling, cup of black coffee in hand, through the many corridors of Hogwarts, pondering what might be obscured by the shadows just beyond her firm grasp.

Before long, Minerva found herself entering a handsomely decorated room, giving it one final inspecting gaze. It appeared ready for their arrival and everything was as it should be. Smiling to herself, she noticed a few recent additions to the décor since she'd last inspected the room.

It was evident that Sprout had stopped by at some point to leave several cuttings of the safest of the greenhouse florals, arranged into three eye-catching displays now placed around the room. Flitwick must have made his way in as well and charmed a dim night-time display of moving constellations onto the ceiling. It emitted a pleasantly soft and ambient glow. A snicker broke the silence as she took notice of Slughorn and Trelawney's leavings; an impressively large box of assorted candies from the finest ingredients and a fancy bottle of imported French Pinot Noir. Snickering, she wondered how hard those two found it to part with their gifts.

The last item to catch her vision appeared to be a pile of brown rocks haphazardly arranged on a giant plate. But upon closer inspection, Minerva realized with a snort that they were in fact Hagrid's infamous rock cakes.

"Oh dear," she muttered to herself. "Well, Severus should know what to do with those."

Glancing about the room, her bespectacled eyes rested on the two stiff, wooden highback chairs and a soft padded wingback in forest and navy plaid, all situated around a small mahogany coffee table.

"Hmm… that won't do, will it?" she mused.

Withdrawing her wand from her navy plaid tartan sleeve, she paused for a moment, thinking through what would better suit. Giving a small nod, she pointed her wand at the first highback chair, and with a tiny flick, it transfigured into a comfortably plush sofa, clad in a deep golden weave. Moving to the second, it soon took shape and form to match the other padded wingback.

"Ahh…Something comfortable, now that's more like it."

With one more sweeping of her bright green eyes about the large room, she concluded that it was properly prepared as requested. A hint of purplish pink began to stretch out across the early morning sky as she left to ponder again the meaning of her dream.

* * *

It wasn't until they were walking down the sidewalk, away from St. Mungo's Hospital, that Caterina remembered to ask about her things. After informing Jamison that they would be heading straight off to Hogwarts first, he had Ellie pack her an additional suitcase of clothing and personal items for Caterina that he brought along on his last visit.

Giving his pocket a small pat, Severus smirked lightly and said, "I've already seen to it all, my Love. Now do you think you feel up to walking a few blocks?"

Caterina raised her eyebrows at his pocket without questioning him and then simply nodded. She felt the usual tiredness she'd been experiencing since she had first woken up but she was determined to fight it, especially for the time being.

Squeezing his hand while throwing him a wide angelic smile, Caterina finally inquired of Severus just how they would be getting to Hogwarts. "How far is it? And how long will it take to get there? And come to think of it, I don't believe that you've ever told me where it is."

"Well, I thought it best to take you there the way I went my very first time and that was by train. It will only take a few hours and you're right, I've never told you where it is but it's securely hidden deep in the mountains of Scotland."

"By train? Somehow I wouldn't think that wizards would have much use for our modes of transportation after seeing and hearing about all the other ways you can travel," mused Caterina.

Severus dropped her hand and slid his arm around her waist, chuckling, "You would think that but some wizards even own cars and there's also a Wizarding bus system but rest assured that it is all enhanced, aided and powered by magic. The train we're taking is a super express. It cuts the normal trip by most trains in half."

They were coming to a large intersection of roads to cross over. Severus kept one hand near his wand and the other stayed protectively around Caterina, drawing her tightly to him. Due to the early hour, the traffic proved quite sparse but he would risk nothing. They walked happily along at an easy pace for a little while longer. Severus watched Caterina closely, making sure that he was not hurrying too fast for her shorter legs and carefully studying her face for signs of tiredness. She seemed to be doing fine and looked rather alert, despite that morning's potion dosage, though he felt sure she would nap on the train. He also kept admiring the smart chocolate colored dress she was wearing. It scooped down a bit in the front and stopped just above her knees, showing off her silky-smooth legs.

Before long, they came upon King's Cross Station and he led her up the steps. A young fellow flew down past them in a rush, knocking into Caterina as he went by. She stumbled but quickly regained her balance as Severus gripped her like a vice. Seeing a flash of anger on his face and catching his hand moving for his wand, she gently batted at it.

"Severus! You can't blast someone just because they bumped me," she said, lightly admonishing him.

"Oh watch me," he answered darkly, his black eyes smoldering in anger.

When they reached the top, Severus stopped and turned back, still contemplating. Caterina shook her head and giggled, touched and somewhat amused over the threatening and imposing stance he held.

"Always my perfect Prince Charming, ready to fight and defend." Then she stretched up on her toes and kissed his cheek.

"Funny you should say that." Severus' tight expression melted into a grin.

"Why so?"

"I'll explain later."

His black eyes shifted down on her as he relaxed, slipping his wand back away and muttering under his breath. Severus tried to look angry at missing his chance to hex the offender but was quickly lost in her sparkling blue eyes. He eagerly returned the kiss to her lips.

"You are utterly distracting, I hope you know," he purred into her ear, causing delightful shivers to run along her spine.

Caterina brought her hand up and ran it soothingly across his chest as she whispered, "That's one thing I do best to you."

Severus growled in return and kissed her deeply until a warning whistle sounded from a nearby departing train. Pulling apart slowly, they were both quite breathless and smiling contentedly. Caterina winked at him as he dipped back down for one more quick kiss of her sweet lips. Then he reached again for her hand, entwining his fingers in hers, lifting it to kiss the back of it.

"Delightfully distracting and bewitching. Apparently, I'm not the only one who can cast a spell," he paused, kissing her forehead. "Now we should get moving."

Severus led her to the appropriate platform, took a deep breath and explained that they were going to walk right through the brick wall, hoping she would not be scared at that revelation. Caterina appeared puzzled for a second as she looked from him to the seemingly solid wall. Gracefully, she lifted a finger, testing one of the bricks with a tap. She gasped sharply as her finger went right through it and he grinned at the fascinated gaze her beautiful face now held. Severus positioned her directly in front of himself, firmly grasping her waist with both hands as he guided her through the magical barrier onto the other side.

Caterina stopped short as she inspected the sight before her. Not only had they entered a clearly magical place, it also appeared as if they had taken a step back in time. Severus allowed her a minute to take it all in. A short distance ahead of them stood an imposing black and cobalt blue steam engine with three coaches of the same color lined up behind it. Staggered on past it, as well as behind them, were several other equally impressive steam-driven trains, though each had its own color patterns and designation.

"A steam engine? I guess wizards aren't quick to modernize, huh?" Caterina teased. "It's very lovely though."

"No not really; many wizards happily resist modern ways in the most unbelievable fashion," Severus offered.

Caterina stepped forward, eagerly tugging at his hand and turning over her shoulder to ask, "Which one are we taking?"

"The one directly in front of us, The Hogsmeade Super Express. It stops at Hogsmeade Village located just a short way from the castle. It's an all-Wizarding- "

With wide eyes, Caterina grabbed his arm. "Wait, did you say castle?"

"Yes, Hogwarts is in fact located in a castle. I'm sure I mentioned it."

"And I'm sure I'd remember that part if you did, dearest. Really, we're going to stay in a castle?" she asked in a hopeful voice. "Or do professors reside somewhere else?"

Severus was amused by her excitement. "No. We will indeed be staying in the castle. Everyone does."

Caterina expressed a sound of glee and clapped her hands together. Severus happily smiled at her obvious jubilation and kissed her. Then he quickly looked around, suddenly wondering if there were any wizards near enough to them that would recognize him and wonder about them. Further down, waiting at another platform, he soon spotted two former students who were eyeing him closely, wearing rather stunned facial expressions. Unsure of how he felt about their scrutiny, he quickly but gently pulled Caterina closely along and into the last of the waiting coaches.

Producing two tickets from his jacket, Severus handed them off to be punched by a very surprised train conductor. Caterina couldn't help but notice the older gentleman's staring as well but she smiled sweetly at him and when she did so, the man blushed to a dark ruby shade.

"Ah, well, umm… the train is scheduled to leave promptly at nine and should arrive at Hogsmeade Station at one. And, ah, I'm sure you are aware of it but the food trolley will make its rounds several times should you wish to purchase anything."

Severus silently nodded and began to turn away, ready to lead Caterina to an enclosed compartment.

"Umm… Sir?" the conductor started nervously now, offering his hand. "May I say it's an honor to have you traveling with us today."

Severus glared at him until Caterina gently nudged his elbow, causing him to tersely shake the proffered hand.

"Yes, and I'd prefer for that knowledge to remain exclusive as we do not wish to be disturbed." Severus' reply was curt and stern sounding.

"Completely understood, sir," acknowledged the conductor as he tipped his cap and briskly strode away.

With an exasperated sounding sigh, Severus pulled Caterina down the skinny corridor, and ushered her inside the last compartment. She sat by the window but fixed her gaze back on him, her look questioning as the door slid shut, seemingly of its own accord, with a tiny snap.

"What was that all about?" she asked softly.

"Oh nothing more than The Daily Prophet printing more than is necessary, like always," came his disgusted reply as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose in a dismayed fashion.

"Severus, darling, it's just their way of making everyone aware of all that you did. I know I still don't understand everything but even I'm extremely proud of what you managed to accomplish," she said sweetly. "You gave up years to working for the cause and went through countless dangers. But what's more, I'm extremely thankful that it's over so that I can selfishly have you all to myself at last."

She grasped his hand and coaxed him down beside her. Hearing her say once again how proud she was of him lightened his mood. Severus claimed her in his arms and nestled his head forward onto her shoulder.

His lips graced against her ear and he richly whispered, "Thank you. Though I don't believe you're being selfish in that last sentiment as I hold strongly to it as well."

Caterina tilted her head back and met his lips with hers. Then she drew her legs up beside her and snuggled back into his warm chest, feeling relieved at last to be seated. The potion's effects were starting to come to the forefront now as she stifled a small yawn. Caterina fought it hard, though, as the train was hastily filled with the rest of its passengers. Several loud whistles signaled its imminent departure and, with a sudden lurch, the train rapidly left the station.

"Goodness, it is fast," commented Caterina as her tired eyes watched the city of London whirl by in a blur of shiny, assorted colors and patterns.

"Yes, this being the Super makes it in about half the time it takes the students on the Hogwarts Express. The yearly trip is seen as a rite of passage, hence the slower engine."

Soon they passed into the open countryside and Severus noticed she was still trying to force herself to keep awake. He slid his hand down along her hip to caress her smooth, bare legs that were tucked up on the seat.

"Caterina, I promise I won't let you miss anything important. You can sleep, my Love."

As he spoke, silently the window shades came down completely on the door side and partway on the window that peered directly to the speeding outside scenery. Almost immediately he felt her relaxing against him as she drifted off to sleep. Knowing that she tended to chill easily, he conjured a light blanket to cover her. Then he rested his own head back against the padded cushioning of the seat, closing his eyes and relaxing the most that he'd allowed himself in weeks.

He felt a certain excited anticipation growing as he began to remember all the things he had to still show her. Severus couldn't wait to see her reaction upon viewing the castle for the first time. It was bringing back all the giddy schoolboy emotions he experienced on his very first trip as an eleven year old boy. Back in a time when things had been so much simpler and uncomplicated. Now, for the first time probably since then, Severus was in a way beginning to feel like his life was once again becoming simpler and less complicated now that the war was over and he'd wisely chosen the winning side. In all his time, he had never once dreamed that he would be returning to Hogwarts with someone in his arms.

Some time later, a small metallic ding startled him awake and he realized it was the trolley. He'd already decided on several things he was going to purchase to further amuse Caterina, things he hadn't had since he was a child, and rarely even then. Once that was taken care of, he gently nudged her awake. Looking momentarily bewildered, she sat up giving him a sheepish smile and then she stretched rather animatedly. He couldn't resist tickling her, which caused her to shriek and giggle as he tugged her back down into his lap.

Her arms came around his neck and she coyly whispered into his ear, "I'll get you for that."

"I most certainly hope that you do," he confessed in his deep, silky voice.

Caterina rested her head on his shoulder for a bit while running her fingers through Severus' hair. He let the wondrous feeling distract him for a few minutes.

"Are we almost there?"

"In just about an hour's time," he promised.

Caterina shifted in his lap to face out the window once more and, as she did so, she noticed a few items now tucked along beside him on the seat. She reached for one of the items but he caught her hand and drew it away, smirking at her.

"Oh Severus, what is it?" she begged.

He stared affectingly into her excited eyes for a moment and then finally picked up a long, skinny object wrapped in a plain, shiny, black paper with the ends of it twisted shut. Severus slowly handed it to her, his dark ebony eyes holding a slight flicker of merriment.

"It's a magical sweet that I thought you might like to try. Open it."

Caterina carefully twisted one end free and let the enclosed treat slide out into her hand. It was a deep brown color and seemed rather pliable though it closely resembled a wand.

"A candy wand?" she guessed with a giggle.

"Well, a licorice wand to be exact, but yes, a wand shaped candy, never the less. Try it."

Caterina gave the end a small bite; her smile grew broadly as she delicately chewed it, "Oh it tastes like… like root beer, not licorice! Which I'm glad for. I'm not much a fan of licorice."

"That's because it's charmed to taste like something you enjoy."

"Really? What's it taste like to you, darling? Please?"

Severus couldn't resist her for long. He willing gave into her pleadings and nipped a bite off as well. She waited expectantly for his answer as she traced her fingers lovingly along his neck.

"Spearmint."

"Oh I should have known, nothing too sweet for you!" she teased.

"Not when I have you for that," Severus murmured seductively into her ear.

She chuckled, shook her head and kissed the end of his nose, "Of course you do."

Slipping the rest of the licorice wand back into its wrappings, she raised her elegant brow and asked hopefully, "Any other magical treats?"

Severus simply placed a small, colorful, striped box that rattled into her hands as she read the name out aloud, "Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans? Like jelly beans?"

"Yes, only much more risky, you could say."

Caterina raised an eyebrow. "Risky- how so?"

"Because they really are every flavour, from sweets and foods to randomly odd things like soap or worms."

"Eww!" she exclaimed, making a face. "You try one first."

And before he could stop her little hand, she had popped a pale tan bean into his mouth.

He chewed it quickly and pronounced, "Mushroom."

Caterina laughed at his face as he placed a red one up to her lips which she took with her teeth.

Chewing for a moment, she declared, "Mmm, cinnamon."

She reached into the box and retrieved a bright green one which she sweetly offered Severus. He rolled his eyes but let her drop it in his mouth without hesitation.

"Brussels sprouts," he said blandly.

Severus fished out another red bean, hoping for cinnamon again, but knew the moment her face twisted up and she started waving her hands wildly about, that it was not. Waving his hand past her mouth, he magicked away the offending candy. Reaching into the box once more he withdrew a taupe bean, bit the end of it to verify its flavour and quickly pushed it between her lips.

"Oh thank you, that's so much better, brown sugar…. Mmm…. The red one was blood! Ick! I see what you mean about being risky."

Severus closed up the bean box, laid it beside the licorice wand and traded it for a purple and golden octagonal-shaped box. Giving it a little shake, he handed it to her.

"I think, according to you, you'll find I saved the best for last."

Caterina studied it for a moment, reading its name and looking warily up at him, "Chocolate frog with collectable card?"

"I assure you, my Love, it is all chocolate and no frog. Go ahead and open it, carefully."

As she did so, he positioned his hand just above it and caught the charmed frog as it hopped up from the opened box. Caterina let out a small gasp as Severus held it between his fingers for her to take a bite.

"It's just a spell to make it jump. Go ahead."

It wiggled as he held it and she glanced questioningly at him. He nodded for her to try it. She leaned forward and carefully bit off the frog's head and front legs. The movements ceased the instant it was in her mouth and Severus watched as a delighted smile spread across her sweet face.

"Umm…Oh… you're right, you did save the best for last." Caterina licked her lips. "This chocolate is fabulous, very rich and creamy."

He held the last bit of it up and slipped it into her opened mouth and happily allowed her to lick the tiny bit of chocolate left on his index finger. As Severus reached for a second chocolate frog box, Caterina remembered about the card and cursorily pulled it from the box to inspect it.

"Oh how clever! Does each card have someone famous on them? This one is Dumbledore." Caterina grinned cheerfully as she watched the tiny Dumbledore in the photo wink and gave her a little wave.

Severus handed her the second box and took the card from her so she could open it. He caught the frog once more but had to hold it wriggling about as Caterina went first for the card this time. Her eyes widened in shock as she quickly flipped it over to read the back.

As the frog slowly lost its charm and stopped moving, he collected the empty boxes from her lap with his free hand and asked, "Who is it this time? Merlin? I've heard his card shows up rather frequently."

"No, it's not at all," she slowly answered.

"Dumbledore, again?"

Caterina's bright blue eyes twinkled like stars as she said, "I'll read it. Severus Snape - Once considered by many to be a loyal Death Eater but was found not only to be true to the cause of justice but also important in defeating Tom Riddle, otherwise known to all as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Snape is a very powerful wizard, greatly knowledgeable in the Dark Arts as well as a Master in the art of Potion-making."

Severus whipped his head back to her, stunned at what he was hearing. For a brief second he wondered if she was making it up just to tease him but he knew that was something she would never tease about. Without noticing, the chocolate frog dropped from his fingers into one of the open boxes now beside him, as he snatched the card from Caterina's fingers.

Growling sharply, he read it through at least three times before the magnitude of it settled upon him. What on earth had possessed the frog makers to add him to their line of trading cards?

Half-muttering to himself, he angrily retorted, "I will certainly look into having them stop using me immediately."

Severus was just about to crush the offending card in his hand when Caterina's hand quickly intervened and yanked it back from him.

"You will do no such thing!" Caterina told in a huff. "First of all, it's _my _card, since you gave me the chocolate frog, and I plan on keeping it. I happen to like it very much and I bet everyone else that now has one rather enjoys it as well. After all darling, it's very flattering and was in no way done in a mean spirit. It's natural people would want to know more about you after everything that's happened. Face it darling, you're famous!"

"Well, then they can read the countless stories in the infernal Daily Prophet! I don't need to be turning up in children's candies" he snapped, still clearly upset.

Caterina tucked the little card into the pocket of her dress and took Severus' face between her hands, speaking softly, "Shhh… Hear me out, darling. I know you're extremely private about your life. You had to be, as deeply as you were wrapped up in that mess but it's over now and wouldn't you rather people know the real truth than to have them speculating as to what your role in it all had been? I know it's not easy to have the unwanted publicity and fame but, trust me, it will pass in time and things will go back to normal before you know it."

Slowly, he bowed his head forward to rest against hers as he let out several very deep sighs. Caterina traced her soft fingers over his cheeks and lips several times before gently kissing him. She felt him begin to release the tension he'd been holding as he relaxed his stern posture.

Chuckling once more, Caterina tilted his head back to look him in the eye as she spoke, "Besides there's only one thing you really have to worry about, you know…."

"And what's that?" he asked with a worried concern in his voice.

"Keeping your biggest and very best admirer of them all happy."

Severus appeared boggled, clearly not following her thinking and asked, "Who's that?"

Caterina smirked at him. "Me, silly!"

Realization struck him suddenly and he promptly devoured her lips with his own. They continued in such a manner until there came a short whistle burst sounding forth, letting them know the train was soon approaching the designated station of Hogsmeade. He gently released her and, with a quick wave, the shades went back up, allowing Caterina full view as they neared the station and village for her first time.

After stowing away the sweets, Severus pulled her back tightly within his arms as she readily searched out the windows. She placed her hands over his where they crossed together around her middle, and tilted her head back into his chest to look up at him and smile. It wasn't long before the train began to slow and then stop suddenly. Severus was glad to be holding Caterina so firmly as he felt sure the stopping jolt would have sent her small figure flying from the seat.

Severus stalled, allowing most passengers to exit and hurry away through the station before exiting with Caterina. Mainly because he did not want this time with her interrupted, but also because he still was not entirely ready, by any means, to face more of this unwanted popularity yet.

As he helped her down the train steps, they walked hand in hand toward an open carriage, waiting for them from the castle. Seeing the Thestral harnessed to it, he stopped, wondering if Caterina could see it. Turning to face her, he could guess just from the wide-eyed expression she held that she could.

"Severus, what on earth is that?" Caterina asked in a hushed voice.

"It's called a Thestral. They are rather rare creatures, somewhat similar to horses but they can fly and are quite safe despite their sinister appearance. Not everyone can see them, though, so it's interesting to find that you can."

Severus realized he had not yet gone over the protective spell in-depth with her and still had not found out if she'd witnessed anyone's death. While it was very important to him, he'd felt it best to make sure she had enough general knowledge to feel comfortable heading with him into the Wizarding World. So everything else had taken a back seat and now he was about to find out who she had witnessed passing. Caterina gripped his hand harder as she cautiously eyed the Thestral.

"Why is that?"

Severus considered his words carefully and quietly replied, "Because they are only able to be seen by those who have witnessed someone dying and then also accepted it. Who was it, my love?"

Caterina stared at him silently before stepping closer to him. He placed his hands on her shoulders and lightly ran his long fingers back and forth over them.

She rested her hand on his chest and softly answered, "Drew, my father and your mother."

Severus seemed stunned to learn of all three, when he had not before considered anyone in her family, let alone his own mother.

She saw his puzzled face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just, well, I never realized you were with my mother when- " Severus explained.

"Yes, I was."

He took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry you had to be there, Caterina, but I'm glad you were there for her when I should have been."

"Severus, I was glad to be there for her as well and I never was upset over it. Nobody should have to be alone when that happens," she told him in a quiet and reassuring tone.

He gazed at her with a look of wonder. How did he ever manage to be so blessed by her love, acceptance and understanding, not to mention her overwhelming compassion? However, Severus did not want her dwelling on these sad thoughts in her heightened emotional state just before arriving at the castle. He wanted it to be a delightful experience, not one carrying bittersweet feelings. There would be plenty of time to discuss these things later.

Tenderly lifting her chin, he kissed his beautiful angel almost reverently. "You are correct. And that may possibly explain who your protective spell came from, but let's talk about that later. Right now, I believe there's a castle that you're anxious to see."

Caterina's face brightened even more and she let him lead her to the waiting carriage. Thankfully the waiting Thestral made no movement or sound as he helped her into it.

"See, completely safe. Nothing to worry about."

"Severus, I feel safest with you and I always have," she said sweetly as he put his arm around her and she rested her hand on his thigh. "Just don't expect me to pet it or feed it an apple."

Unable to restrain a loud snicker over her comment, Severus hugged her in his arm and assured her that a Thestral would never be interested in an apple.

"From the looks of it, I somehow didn't think it would be," Caterina said, shivering.

Severus spoke aloud toward the Thestral, as if giving it a command, "Hogwarts castle."

At that, the animal started off. The ride was surprisingly smooth and as they made their way around a bend in the road, the treeline broke away briefly, revealing a large lake to one side and, up along a hill on the opposite side, Severus pointed out the little all-Wizarding village of Hogsmeade.

"Oh it's lovely! So picturesque with all those thatched-roofed cottages. Can we visit it sometime?"

Severus watched her adoringly, and wondered if he could ever refuse her anything. "Certainly, my Love."

"Now where is the castle?" She looked all around them. "I don't see anything yet."

"And you shouldn't just yet, but very soon."

After traveling along the lake for well over a mile, the road veered slightly away from it. The Thestral slowed to a stop and, though Caterina could still see nothing, she heard what sounded like heavy metal gates swinging open just in front of them.

Severus leaned close to her ear while keeping his black eyes fixed on her face and whispered in his rich, velvety voice, "Welcome my sweet Love, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Caterina's vivid blue eyes stayed fixed ahead, searching, and as Severus' words reached her ear it was as though the whole horizon line shifted and rippled apart before slipping back into place. Where there had been nothing but trees, rocks and mountains, now suddenly a massive castle stood, complete with tall towers, round turrets and battlements. It sat situated on a large rocky hill that overlooked the lake they had just rounded. Hogwarts Castle was clearly one of the most amazing feats of architecture that Caterina had ever seen. Severus watched her, feeling almost as breathless as she actually was over the sight now before her eyes.

She remained silent for several moments longer, until she finally tore her eyes away and looked at Severus, asking in an awed voice, "How did it just suddenly appear like that?"

"Non-magical people cannot see it or even stumble upon it by accident, for all the defensive spells and shielding charms that cover it. But, if invited by the headmaster or deputy, one can see it just as plain as day. Are you ready to see the rest?" Severus asked, taking her hand in his and kissing the back of it.

Caterina beamed up at him. "Of course I am."

With a wave of his arm, the Thestral stepped through the large open gates that were now visible to her. She gripped his hand, realizing with heart-pounding anticipation that she was about to enter the place that had for many years so occupied her darling Severus' life. Caterina Clarkstone was now entering the Wizarding World.

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A/N: After 11 months they spent apart, with poor Sev, standing watch over her bedside for several of those months, they more than deserved a fluffy and light-hearted time together! A Hogwarts visit for Caterina, after all this time! What do you think of their journey? Hope you enjoyed it! Have a fabulous day with happy Snapey hugs to everyone. ;)


	43. Strange New World

A/N: First off, let me apologize for such a long wait on getting this next chapter posted! I know I've never gone more than a week between updates since starting this story and, because of that, it threw a few of you off. I honestly just needed to step back and take a break. I've never written anything before starting this story and in the past six months, I've blown through writing 42+ chapters for this story alone, not to mention playing around with another. Before I completely burnt myself out, I realized I just needed to give my brain a rest so that's what I've been up to the past few weeks. A few days ago, I read back through every single review for _A Place for My Heart _and I have to say I was in tears over just how incredibly encouraging and enthusiastic everyone has been for it. NEVER did I expect to have such an outpouring of support for my simple little story! And not to mention the fact that I've made some of the sweetest new friends that all share a common obsession! Again, I want to say a huge thanks to all of my faithful readers and reviewers, because without you, I'd never find the motivation to finish the story outside of my head. And many thanks to those of you who were so sweet in 'checking' on me over the lack of updates. Extra chocolates frogs to ya'll!

Now, onto the next chapter… Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 43**

**Strange New World**

"A muggle? Really? Snape and… a _muggle_?"

"Yes."

"Bumbling banshees! A real, live muggle woman, who is coming here? Unbelievable!"

"I'll admit, I was a bit taken aback when I found out but really what's that shocking about it?"

"I don't, well, frankly, I just don't see him with _anyone_, let alone a muggle. I mean, who would put up with him? I realize a lot of what he did was because he _had_ to, but still, some prejudices and mindsets become habit after awhile."

"Filius! It sounds like you still haven't let go of some of your own prejudices," replied Minerva sternly. "He and Dumbledore provided _more_ than enough evidence to clear him on all accounts against him. I was also privy to quite a bit of extra information which I shared on his behalf!"

"Ehh… Yes. I know and that's not what I'm questioning." The short wizard deeply reddened in the face. "I'm sorry, it's just that he doesn't seem to be capable of loving someone else if you know what I mean, Minerva. Hmm... so a muggle, here at Hogwarts? That will certainly be something new and different."

She nodded. "Yes it will. And how and why they love each other is between them. Personally, I think that after the burden he's carried all these years, he deserves a chance at happiness finally. If she can tolerate him and make him happy, I'm all for it."

Flitwick let out a loud snicker, "We've worked beside him for years, Minerva and you know _tolerate_ might be putting it mildly, where Snape is concerned."

Minerva gave him a sharp piercing look and rolled her eyes but said nothing.

He chuckled as he turned to gaze out over the Black Lake before continuing. "It's just funny, to think of Snape _in love_ and, well, _happy_."

"I must confess, that I agree," said a new, quiet voice as Minerva turned on her heel to find Pomona Sprout, closely followed by Hagrid. "But I guess we'll soon be able to see for ourselves just how real it all is?" Pomona finished.

Everyone slowly came to rest against the railing before them as they stood peering out from the alcove under the clock tower. Hagrid's black eyes darted back and forth expectantly, watching and wondering how soon until the carriage would arrive with Snape and this muggle woman.

"Don't know still if I entirely trust Snape, yeh know? Could be he's got her under some fancy dark spell an' some wild potion he invented, I reckon, to make her think she's in love with him. He's been under an enormous amount of strain, 'specially this past year, might try anything, yeh know what I'm sayin'? "

Minerva blinked in surprise at Hagrid's words and then threw up her arms in disgust, before explaining again, "I've seen the two of them together and you can trust me, she is under no coercion from him. The poor thing has been in St. Mungo's for a month. They would have discovered any dark spells and a potion would have worn off long ago. But I can see it's pointless in arguing with all of you. It's best for you all to wait and form your own opinion on the matter. I know where I stand."

"And why, exactly, has she been in St. Mungo's for so long?" came yet another new voice to the group.

Minerva glanced over her shoulder to find Slughorn and Sibyll joining them with Poppy trotting hurriedly along in behind them. It had been Horace who was now inquiring. She sighed at having to retell it all again but was glad most all of the staff who'd decided to remain at Hogwarts for the summer for the rebuilding efforts after the battle were all there and present now.

Drawing in a deep breath, Minerva spoke loud and clear, "Someone attacked her about three months ago, apparently leaving her for dead. She was in a muggle hospital and unconscious for a month until Severus found out and had her moved to St. Mungo's where they finally figured out the problem. They have stayed entirely separated for the past year so as not to put her in any danger from Voldemort discovering her. I don't know all the details but there is the strong possibility of the attacker having been a Death Eater that maybe caught wind of which side Severus was really working for. She has no memory of the attack as of yet, so it would be prudent not to bring it up."

"I wonder if she's pretty," Pomona questioned, shooting Minerva a sideways glance, knowing she'd already seen her several times. "What's her name again? Catalina?"

"No. It's Caterina, Caterina Clarkstone, and if you can get past the slightly hideously wart and the snaggle tooth, she's really quite something."

There came a collective gasp from the group as Minerva turned on her heel once more and strode purposefully over to the steps, fighting the wicked smirk off her face. Unable to refrain from making that last comment, she left them all waiting eagerly and unknowing what to really expect. She herself had already formed her own opinion of Caterina and it was a good one. The rest would have to follow suit on their own, she thought to herself, snickering at knowing how shocked they would all be at really seeing the beautiful young woman for themselves.

She listened to their continued chatterings as she now waited at the bottom of the stairs. Most were repeating their musings as to whether or not Snape was actually capable of love and if this Caterina woman had a nasty and foreboding disposition equal to his own. If her own encounter with Caterina had indeed been accurate of her general demeanor, and Minerva felt confident in her own judgment of the young woman's character that it was so, the staff would be in for a most pleasant and unexpected surprise. It would be rather humorous to observe as she also was not about to inform them how Dumbledore himself found her to be rather enthralling when he spoke of her.

Before long, they all saw the black carriage appear out of the towering woods and turn onto the long lane that rambled on up to the huge oak front doors. One by one, the others followed as Minerva led the way down to welcome this Caterina to Hogwarts. They filed out the doors and lined up on the steps outside in a sort of staggered formation. Minerva glanced quickly at each of her colleagues in turn and observed that each was trying hard not to appear overly eager at meeting this new woman but they were all failing horribly. Without a doubt, she knew Hogwarts' halls would soon be abuzz with gossip, though she hoped the staff would grant enough respect to the unusual situation, keeping their own discussions behind closed office doors.

Caterina took a deep breath, attempting to shake off the overwhelming tired feeling that was fighting her again once they had left the train. At the wondrous sight of Hogwarts Castle appearing though, her tiredness got pushed to the very back of her mind. The castle grew larger through the forest's protective view, and a fluttery excitement surged through her. She gripped Severus' hand tighter and leaned slightly forward for a better peek. As they passed the last cropping of the tall trees, in the distance Caterina could plainly make out the very large wooden doors and a line of what could be none other than several witches and wizards awaiting them.

A flurry of nervous anxiety engulfed her at the thought of meeting those who worked so closely with Severus over the years. They knew nothing of her, nor she of them, and she couldn't help but wonder what they would think of her, a non-magical person, a _muggle_, as Severus had explained to her, coming to stay there at Hogwarts.

Caterina turned to Severus. She found his expression almost blank but she'd known him for so long, she could read the slight touch of trepidation mixed with excitement in his obsidian eyes. From what he had previously shared with her, she understood he was not in the business of being on extremely friendly or open terms with anyone there. And now, even with the war over, she suspected that there might still be some who did not entirely trust him yet, despite the truth being out. Caterina knew she would need to be prepared to deal with a variety of inquires because of that fact.

Severus' gaze finally met hers and he gave her a tiny smile, barely turning up the corners of his lips as he squeezed her small hand reassuringly. She noticed a slight shift in his shiny black eyes as they were locked with hers and now found a calming nature about them, helping to assail her unsure feelings. When the Thestral came to a halt in front of the steps, she kept her head toward Severus, focusing on him and trying to build up all her confidence to meet a group of witches and wizards. He exited the carriage first and turned immediately to help her down to the solid ground. Seeming to know it was no longer needed, the beast that had transported them started to leave and soon disappeared from sight. It was only then that Caterina turned her attention to focus on those now in front of her.

She smiled warmly as Severus' strong hand once more guided her by the small of her back and she gracefully stepped forward with him. As she took in the shocked and confused expressions on most of the faces before her, she wondered briefly what it might be about her that they had not been expecting. And she in turn looked over each of those in the welcoming party from a world so different from what she had always known.

Minerva cleared her throat, stepping down to take Caterina's hand between her own. "We're quite excited to have you joining us here at Hogwarts, my dear. I'm sure you'll find the castle to be an amazingly magical place and full of many extraordinary wonders."

Caterina nodded sweetly, "Thank you. It's absolutely magnificent from what little bit I've seen so far."

Minerva patted her hand in a motherly fashion and proceeded to introduce the rest of the waiting witches and wizards. Severus stayed very close by her but said little. He carefully watched the faces of those before him as they all nodded and briefly shook his hand, a few of them offering a word or two. There seemed to be something about Caterina that they had not been expecting as they all stared at her as though waiting for her to suddenly sprout another head. This puzzled Severus.

Only when he caught sight of no less than three separate revealing charms heading toward Caterina, did he realize a few of them must have believed her to be under an enchanted beauty charm by him. He couldn't help but smirk widely and, instead of deflecting them, he allowed them to hit her, knowing she would feel nothing as there was nothing hidden to reveal. Her beauty was all her own.

The revealing charms had not escaped Minerva's gaze either and, with a muffled and discreet chuckle, she shook her head. Everyone was making small talk now, and it appeared that, gradually, the present staff were accepting Caterina's looks to be her own. She suppressed another laugh at seeing Hagrid absentmindedly smooth back his wild hair, Flitwick endeavoring to stand at his fullest height and Slughorn attempting to hold back his bulbous stomach. Life was about to become even more interesting at the castle than it already was with Caterina, but hopefully with a much lighter twist to it than it had been in years. Giving a sharp 'tsk' at hearing Sibyll say she'd foreseen Caterina's appearance in her crystal ball years ago, Minerva proposed that they allow Severus to see to getting Caterina settled in and give them a chance to rest and freshen up before dinner that evening.

Reluctantly, they each eventually scattered off, one or two at a time, into other parts of the castle, leaving Severus, Caterina and Minerva heading up the steps toward the doors. Severus stopped just outside the large oak door and asked Caterina to place her hand flat against it. As she did so, he placed his large hand protectively over top of hers and, in his wondrous deep and velvety voice, whispered several words she did not understand. Watching between him and their hands, she felt a growing warmth in and around her hand and looked up to see a soft, blue light, glowing around it. It lasted several seconds longer before dissipating away completely. Severus gently pulled her hand away and entwined his fingers with hers as she gave him a quizzical look.

"I have made your presence known to the castle itself. That way it will always open its doors for you or guide you, should you get lost within it. It will also steer you away from anything potentially dangerous," he explained gently to her.

"Oh," said Caterina thoughtfully. "So the castle itself is actually magical as well?"

Severus nodded, "Yes it is. That's how it's been so quickly repaired after the battle here. Most of the damaged areas are healing themselves, only taking a period of a few weeks to complete. If you ever need help finding your way, place your hand on a castle wall and tell it where you want to go. It will mark the way for you."

He led her into the castle, pausing once inside to allow her several moments to take it all in. Caterina immediately loved the sheer beauty of all the greatly detailed architecture. Without there even being any outward visible signs just inside, one could tell the whole place was magical by the feelings it invoked by its sheer grandeur. Minerva took several minutes to discuss a few items of interest with Severus as she stood in awe, appreciating the grandeur of the castle. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before.

"I apologize for those revealing spells, Severus, but you should have known a few of them would not be able to take plain sight for what it really was, no matter what I said beforehand. Just allowing them became the quickest, most sure-fire way of putting any nasty rumors to rest before they could even start."

Severus nodded, giving a small grin at Caterina's baffled look. He didn't explain until later. They bid Minerva good-bye and he led her away, further into the magical castle. After ascending the large marble staircase, they took several more smaller staircases up, passing through a labyrinth of hallways and winding corridors until Severus stopped in front of a plain brown wooden door. Again he had her place her hand on it as he did the same, only this time he explained that he was warding it so that only the two of them would be allowed to pass through, gaining entry into their chambers.

Severus opened the door and held out his hand for Caterina to take. She giggled lightly, grasping his hand in hers and twirled toward him in a simple pirouette. He caught her around the waist, kissed her neck and together they walked into a large, regally appointed room. Against the opposite wall were several floor to ceiling windows that looked out on the lake with the two center windows opened as French doors onto a small balcony. Following along the left side was a wall that lead into the room, and where it ended, there in a recessed area of the room nearest the windows stood a dark wooden sleigh bed covered in rich gold and burgundy dressings. It matched handsomely with the patterns of the couch and armchairs that were arranged on the right side around a massive fireplace with a large stone mantle as well as with the window coverings and the large ornately woven rugs. Two doors near the bed, each on a different wall, led into a closet and a large bathroom respectively.

"Should have figured she'd use her own ridiculous house colors if left to it by herself."

Something apparently in the color scheme did not sit well with Severus. He glanced at Caterina and asked, "Would you mind a color change in the décor?"

"Not at all," she smiled, watching the room fade into several beautiful hues of rich greens with accents of silver and black, along with the occasional tiny touch of deep purple.

Caterina nodded approvingly, looking all around at his quick work. She began noticing little touches added in here and there. There were several fresh floral displays and even what appeared to be a few welcoming gifts, arranged in various places. As Severus inspected what looked like a pile of rocks on a plate, Caterina stepped over to admire a large bunch of colorful flowers sitting on a small table near the door. She reached her hand up to straighten a somewhat drooping stem and was met with a surprisingly sharp and quick jerk against her index finger by one of the flowers.

"_Ouch_! It- it… I think it bit me!" Caterina gasped.

Severus was by her in no time flat, soothing and healing the tiny marks left by the flower. He shot a perturbed glare at the offending flowers and pulled out his wand to vanish them.

"Damn, infernal snapdragons," he snarled, raising his wand.

"Oh Darling, don't get rid of them, please. They're rather pretty and I certainly _now_ know to keep my fingers away. Plus, I've never had magical flowers before," she pleaded with a chuckle.

Severus relented but held his wand to the flowers and threatened, "If any of you even so much as think of biting her again, you _will_ find yourselves immediately destroyed."

The flowers quaked for a few seconds, though Caterina did not know whether it was in fear or agreement but she found them highly amusing. Smiling, she placed her hands on his chest and leaned her head against him, suppressing a small yawn. Severus kissed her head, then lifted her into his arms, carrying her over to the bed. As he did, she now noticed her luggage was already sitting off to the corner, near the large wall-in closet.

"I'm sorry I'm so tired…there's so much to see and I…." she started but he held a finger to her lips.

"It's not your fault, my Love, and none of it is going anywhere. We've got all the time we need now."

Caterina happily rested back into his chest and inviting arms as he situated himself better on the bed. "Mmmm… I like the sound of that. Lots of time…."

She lay there for several minutes, still taking in all the surroundings of the lovely room as Severus summoned a book from somewhere and charmed it to hover in front of him so his hands were free to hold her. After being without her in his arms for almost a year, he now valued each and every chance he had to hold her, never seeming to get enough of her. Her roaming eyes once again caught the large plate on the small coffee table by the fireplace.

She giggled and asked, "Severus, why are there rocks on that plate? Is there something magical about them?"

He snickered and with a gentle wave of his hand, one of them floated over to her. She reached up and took it out of the air to inspect it. After a moment, she realized it was apparently an edible pastry of some sort, though hard as and highly reassembling a rock. Severus then explained who had left what for them around the room.

"Aww, that was very sweet of them," she said softly, tilting her curly head back to smile adoringly up at him.

"I suppose," Severus mused as the edible rocks disappeared altogether from her sight.

"They all seemed rather nice."

"Yes, they are and will be to you, no doubt."

As Caterina's turquoise eyes fought to close, Severus darkened the room by shielding the sunlight streaming in the through the large windows. She snuggled back, deeper against him, pulling his arms tighter around her, watching the beautifully enchanted ceiling and smiling serenely before drifting off. Severus stared down at her for several long minutes, wondering like many times before how he'd managed to ever deserve and secure the love of so marvelous a woman.

The next few days after arriving at Hogwarts were almost a blur for Caterina. Daily, she fought the ongoing tiredness brought on by the potion but she was beginning to find it a little easier to keep her emotions in check, as compared to right after taking the very first dose. There was just so much to see and the castle provided an endless wealth of new discoveries for her, not to mention the many interesting witches and wizards to interact with. They each seemed to be fondly welcoming toward Caterina and she was eager to learn more about them.

But, despite the fact that Severus assured her none of it was going to up and disappear, she wanted to experience it all and learn all she could about his world. There were so many strange and amazing new things to discover. The tiredness greatly frustrated her as it delayed some things, for there were days when she slept through breakfast and barely made it to dinner.

Severus remained outstandingly patient and understanding of it, for the reasons that had brought her to have to endure the potion were never far from his mind. Many a night, long after Caterina was asleep safely in his embrace, found him continually working through what he knew of the attack, cursing and blaming himself for ever choosing to leave her alone like he had last August.

For Severus, having Caterina at Hogwarts with him now was most certainly an adjustment of sorts. Not a bad one, by any means, but he had always viewed himself as an outsider and a loner, though for all general intents and purposes he had always respectfully gotten along with the other professors and staff. The past year which had seen him as headmaster created more tension between all, but with Minerva's help, it never grew to what it could have become if she had not known the truth. Severus knew Caterina was now beginning to fully grasp just how unsocial he had always been to everyone else in the world. She really was the one and only person he'd ever truly dared get close to in his whole life.

Being used to privacy, he disliked having the others watching his interactions with her so closely but he did understand their surprise in learning about her and him and knew it was bound to happen. Since the truth of where his loyalties had really been all the long years, he figured now they were more interested in trying to discover all they could about his relationship with her. And while he had not a single thing to hide any longer, he disapproved of them conjecturing, speculating and discussing his personal life. Caterina had hit on it correctly when she'd told him on the train he would have to deal with some temporary fame and the intrusion that would bring to his personal life for awhile.

In showing off Hogwarts to Caterina, he was rediscovering many of its marvels and beauty anew, through her fresh eyes. Caterina noticed so much of the minute detail and unique craftsmanship in just the architecture and layout alone. Things he knew he'd never once picked up on and had probably gone unseen by many eyes over the years in the general hustle and bustle of those hotly pursuing the academic life.

Severus also delighted in hearing her little squeals of wonder and amazement as he introduced her to new things. Most magical items she readily accepted, as well as a whole multitude of new creatures and plants, from the fantastical to the mythical. He did find that a few things in the creatures and beings department she was frightened of and wholly unprepared for, so he tried to limit her exposure to those as to give her time to become accustomed to the concepts of them. The idea that there really were ghosts, vampires, werewolves, giants, elves and a host of others did not sit well with her.

As the castle finished sorting itself back to rights and the hospital wing finally emptied of its few remaining patients, either to their homes or St. Mungo's, the staff enjoyed the downtime and change of pace at last. Soon enough, though, they found themselves involved in the rigorous task of reevaluating the curriculum and teaching methods as a whole.

Severus wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to continue in the position as headmaster but, in working with Shacklebolt and several others appointed at the Ministry of Magic in the newly created Department of Wizarding Education, it was decided that he remain at the post, as Hogwarts would strive for a much more unified front between the four houses. Severus and Minerva were going to be sharing more of the headmaster responsibilities and conferring closer with the other heads of house in an effort to show fair treatment over many student situations that arose each year. It had all been brought up at the first simple and impromptu meeting that had occurred one evening during dinner, shortly after Severus and Caterina's arrival, and was soon agreed upon by all.

The staff also agreed that certain standards in a few subjects had become not only subpar but appallingly low due to a steady change in teachers. Severus proposed that each professor develop a standard of excellence in their field that all students in each year should strive to achieve by each year's end. It was also decided that some rather archaic approaches in several branches of magic did nothing to benefit the students. Minerva wisely suggested that they establish an open line of communication with a few other magical learning institutions to compare methods from around the world. Severus left her, Sprout and Flitwick in charge of that task.

Severus, along with Slughorn's help and a few other staff members, started the monumental job of potion brewing to restock the entire school and infirmary's needs. Their stores had been severely depleted while housing the injured after the battle and they had most recently had to rely on St. Mungo's for what was needed. Several of the calmer and older house-elves were selected to assist with the collecting and chopping of ingredients as well as the stirring of cauldrons. Before long, there were two dungeon classrooms full of bubbling, shimmering concoctions. Several of the more dangerous and delicate potions were set up in the Potion Master's office.

The house-elves had been a creature that Severus was unsure of how Caterina would take to. He wanted her to not be afraid of them and, after discussing it over with Minerva, he decided upon introducing her first to a rather shy and young female house-elf named Stella. Stella had only recently come of age to start working with the others at Hogwarts. It was also decided that Stella solely be assigned to helping Caterina in case she ever found herself lost or in need of assistance. Severus added a complex charm to Caterina's locket that would allow her, even as a muggle, to summon Stella.

At first, Caterina didn't know what to think about the little creature and the fact that she was completely sentient and magical half scared her. Caterina almost hid behind Severus at their introduction, upon hearing Stella speak in a high, squeaky voice. The little creature stood only to about Caterina's waist in height, and despite being rather thin, wore a plaid pillowcase over herself, like a baggy dress. Severus chuckled and softly coaxed Caterina around, stating that the house-elves greatly thrived on loyally serving those at Hogwarts to their very best and they could never do anything to harm her. As Severus quietly explained things to Caterina, Stella busied herself in straightening items around the room, while constantly stealing glances back at her and blinking her large, sage colored eyes.

"Why does she keep looking at me like that?" whispered Caterina.

"Probably because you're staring at her as well," smirked Severus. "I promise you she is very safe and will help you with anything if I'm not available, my Love."

At that, the little elf padded over and smiled shyly up at Caterina. "I is always your helper. Keep you safe for master." Stella hesitantly took a small step closer and looked up at her with adoring eyes, blinking fast. "Yous is beautiful and have very pretty curls. Is they soft too, like theys look?"

Caterina glanced up at Severus who nodded in encouragement but was surprised himself as Caterina knelt down to let Stella actually touch them. Stella reached out most reverently with one long finger and gave one of Caterina's curls a tiny twirl. This excited the little elf beyond belief as she started to hop delightedly and run in circles around her. Caterina watched, laughing and smiling wide-eyed over what the simple gesture had done to Stella.

"Stella," Severus said sternly after a moment.

The house-elf stopped and snapped to attention in front of him, awaiting his command.

"You may go now, until summoned again."

"Yes, master," Stella bowed, while smiling sheepishly up at Caterina again.

With what sounded like a small balloon popping, Stella then disappeared into thin air.

Caterina cocked her head and eyed Severus quizzically, "Master? She called you master?"

"Being that I'm the headmaster, hey all do. It's a very old tradition they hold to, but even if told to call me something different, most would flatly refuse." He slipped his hands around her waist, raised an eyebrow and bent to whisper low and seductively in her ear. "And _you_ are always welcome to address me as such."

Caterina snorted and gave his bum a sharp pinch in response as he lifted her into his arms, kissing her quite possessively and tumbling onto the couch with her.

* * *

A/N: Caterina is gaining a swift and enjoyable introduction into the Wizarding World, isn't she? And who wouldn't give just about anything to have a house-elf handy? Now as far as the burning question of who-done-it; don't worry we'll getting more clues very soon. Severus would never let that go!

Thanks for stopping by to read and for sharing your thoughts. They are always so greatly encouraging to me! Ya'll truly are the very best, nicest and sweetest readers around! ;)


	44. The Beginning of Answers

**Chapter 44**

**The Beginning of Answers**

Watching over all the potions, even with Slughorn's capable assistance, still took him away from Caterina for a few hours at a time each day. She repeatedly assured him that she understood and in no way minded, understanding it was part of his job and knew their time apart during the days would certainly increase once the next school term started. Sometimes Caterina would go along with him to watch quietly, mesmerized at Severus' extreme skill in the tedious work and direction of all that was being done. It was all very intriguing to watch and, though some of the ingredients were most revolting to look at, especially those housed in clear jars and suspended in liquids, Caterina found the art of potion making to be quite fascinating.

Those helping in the brewing secretly welcomed and appreciated the appearance of Caterina as it certainly had modified and lessened Severus' usually harsh and surly manner. As much as he enjoyed her company with him while he worked, he soon realized the dungeons to be a very dark, dreary and dismal place and he preferred her not to spend too much time there. It had been solely for that reason also that he'd requested new chambers and did not intend to have Caterina lurking around in the dark windowless rooms he'd lived in for so long, deep within the confines of the sunless and cold dungeons. Now it all too closely represented everything that his life had always been before she came along and brightened it immensely with her sweet love.

Some afternoons, while Severus tended to the brewing potions, Minerva would readily make herself available to spend time with Caterina. They'd have tea and chat about things in both the Muggle and Wizarding Worlds. Caterina found she thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the older witch and they became rather close in a short time.

Minerva, in many ways, couldn't help but feel proud of Severus' choice in Caterina. Somehow this lovely girl had managed to break through Severus' impenetrable protective shell and bring happiness to his once lonely, solemn and burdened life. Caterina may be a muggle but it was certainly magic she had worked on Severus. She knew not to point out how much of a change she and the others now saw in him due to Caterina. It wasn't at all blatant and was in most ways quite subtle, but still it was clearly evident that there was a very deep and special bond between the two of them and was quite obvious how very much they both loved and cherished each other.

A few days before Caterina's next potion dose, she found herself feeling more like her usual self and finally less tired. In many ways, she was starting to feel more at home within Hogwarts. Though some of the creatures and magical devices struck a particular fear in her, she was becoming accustomed to many strange things, as well as learning the layout of the castle in certain sections. The house-elves were also growing on her. Little Stella stopped in daily, giggling shyly while blinking her big pale green eyes, to inquire of any of her needs.

Anxious to see more of the grounds, she and Severus enjoyed a leisurely walk through the amazing greenhouses one evening after dinner. He knew Caterina would love to see more of the magical plants, but he kept her always in his unwavering grasp and at a safe distance from the more mischievous and sneaky of plants.

Many of the unique flowering ones impressed her the most. When he pointed out the interesting and snappish fanged geraniums, she promptly clasped her hands behind her back with a knowing smirk and she giggled over the honking daffodils and leaping toadstools. Occasionally, he would briefly explain certain plants' significance and their magical qualities. At one point Severus handed her several large pink seeds and told her to drop them one by one. Caterina watched in awe as they burst open into beautiful blooms of assorted colors. Their walk then left the greenhouses and soon led them on down around to the Black Lake. As the sun began its decent, Severus stopped near the lake's edge, under the cover of a tree and conjured a thick, soft blanket for them to sit on.

There were several topics that he'd intentionally avoided during their first two weeks as Caterina settled in and familiarized herself with Hogwarts. He knew they could and should not be avoided forever though. Most importantly to him was continuing to investigate the mystery of the bastard who had attacked her. It was always lingering in the back of his mind and he'd sent a few cunningly, inconspicuous inquires off to several persons of interest who had connections to possibly provide him with certain information he might need to hopefully piece everything together. Carefully, Severus broached the topic with Caterina and surprisingly discovered her quite willing and calm in discussing the situation.

"I've actually thought about it several times, Severus, and I just cannot seem to remember anything. It's frustrating because, on one hand, I'm not sure I want to remember and yet on the other, I want to see whoever the bastard was, pay dearly, especially for the two lives he took."

She rested her head back against his shoulder, watching the sun's orange glow fade to darker shades as he pondered over her words and vehemently stated, "Well, I will never let whoever it may have been get away with any of it."

"I have wondered if going back to the mansion would trigger any memories," she mused softly.

Severus had also thought of trying that but promptly put the idea on hold when he remembered the terrible nightmares she had suffered through for so long over the kidnapping ordeal from years before. As much as he wanted the ultimate revenge and swift justice, he could not bear to put her in that kind of situation if at all entirely possible. Caterina had already suffered through more than enough and he would always blame himself for what happened at the mansion. With a sigh, he told her they would only try it if she was absolutely positive she wanted to confront it like that.

"Severus, if it was… if it was a- a Death Eater, like you suspect, what if they were killed during the battle or imprisoned afterwards?"

"I've thought about that possibility and, while I'd be highly disappointed not to see them suffer for their crimes, it would put any and all fears to rest, though I might have some pull with the acting Minister of Magic to have additional punishment brought upon them. I have already begun to inquire of the few I trusted the least and their movements prior to the battle. I'm just waiting now to hear back."

Caterina turned and looked up at him in surprise. "Severus, isn't that risky for you? I mean, what if he's still on the loose, and hears you're after him?"

"The risk is completely nominal to me but I'd willingly take it even if it were high."

"What if_ I'm_ not willing? I certainly don't want anything to happen to you over this," she said fearfully. "We've already come way too close to losing each other-"

"Not a single thing will happen to you or me. I _refuse_ to allow it," Severus finished forcefully, drawing her tight against his body.

After that, they remained quiet, holding each other, watching as the brilliant orange hues were overcome by rich purple tones and the night sky began to twinkle overhead with thousands of tiny dots of starlight. Caterina soon felt Severus' strong hands tenderly roaming and caressing the curves of her body, causing her to shiver in pure delight. Closing her eyes and smiling blissfully, she wondered if he were remembering their passionate night spent outside last summer under the same starlit sky and similar surroundings. As Caterina lay there engulfed in the untold pleasure of his amorous touches and deeply passionate kisses, she eagerly returned the loving gestures until a loud disturbing shriek sounded from the nearby forest. Startled over it, Caterina sat up, looking all around them in the darkness that had finally settled.

"Umm, it's kind of creepy, knowing there could be so many different creatures watching us," she whispered with a slight shudder.

She felt his hot breath against her shoulder and neck as he gradually traced his lips from there up to her ear. Then Severus kissed her temple while running his fingers through her long chestnut curls and chuckling, "Yes, I suppose you are correct. I never considered that fact. Let's head back to the castle."

The soft blanket disappeared as he helped her to her feet and off they walked, his arm tight around her in a most protective manner, across the darkened grounds. Gentle, flickering lights guided their way along the path from the many windows of the castle.

"It's even breathtakingly beautiful at night, especially with the soft glow of all the lights shining out everywhere," Caterina said, inclining her head toward the castle.

Severus turned, studying her for a moment before tilting her chin to face him. "I must confess I was thinking the same, but about you instead."

Caterina blushed sweetly, stretching on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek and slipping her hand into his. When they reached their room, Caterina was treated to the sight of two owls shifting and hooting impatiently as Severus quickly removed their parcels. One turned out to be a reply regarding one of the inquires he'd sent out and the second had obviously started out in the muggle post system. It was a large envelope containing a whole wealth of information for her to peruse from Jamison. Caterina read the accompanying letter from Jamison before she started sifting through documents relating to the company, news regarding the charity and several personal correspondences.

Promptly, she tossed it all back down on the table with a tired sigh. "Ugh, heavens, there's a lot here. Oh, I'll just wait and work my way through this all tomorrow."

Caterina went to wash her face and slip into a soft turquoise satin nightie. When she returned to the room, she found Severus still very absorbed in whatever news the owl had brought him. At her gentle touch to his arm, he finally tore his eyes away to find her watching him, and he folded the parchment, causing it to disappear from sight.

"That just eliminated two more from my list - Macnair and Rookwood. I'd already checked the castle's logs for both of the Carrows that evening. They never left."

A short while later Caterina snuggled up against his bare chest, running her fingers over his shoulders and watching the serious contemplative look that persisted on his features. She leaned up and softly kissed his lips, bringing him back to the present and out of his ponderings.

"I have no doubt that you'll get it figured out, Darling. You're the most determined and driven person I've ever known and, as I've told you before, I've never felt safer in my life than when I'm with you."

Severus tucked a few stray curls behind her ear and grinned appreciatively before kissing her back. "Thank you, my sweet Love, for that vote of confidence."

Late into the night, as she peacefully slept in his arms, his mind continued to work through what that letter had shared, comparing it with what he already knew as he waited for more pieces of the puzzle to reveal themselves and fit together.

Dinner with the rest of the staff became quite eventful the next evening. It was Friday night and the conversation quickly turned away from the standard ongoing educational debates to the lighter, yet highly interesting topic of the two of them. Most had refrained from inquiring very much about Caterina and Severus but it seemed that none of them could really handle being in the dark forever as to how their relationship had even come about. It was an eager burning question in all of their minds and, finally, Hagrid asked it.

"Well, I don't know 'bout the rest, but I sure would like to hear how the two of yeh met and hitched up." He grinned broadly at her.

Caterina felt Severus' posture stiffen at once but she knew she would rather enjoy divulging their story finally, albeit, highly edited. Knowing he wasn't mad but rather disliked the attention, she placed a calming hand on his thigh and caressed his leg under the table before speaking, her azure eyes sparkling brightly with happiness.

"Actually I've known Severus my whole life. We grew up in the same town, not far from each other. His father worked for mine for many years. And, much to his dismay, I would often toddle after him and my brother growing up. We became reacquainted about six years ago in town, and I guess you could say that I just kept bothering him until he finally came around to putting up with me," she said, laughing and grinning up at Severus as he reached under the table and squeezed her hand as it trailed higher up his leg.

"I had no idea you both knew each other for so long," Minerva gasped with a surprised look.

Almost out of earshot, Flitwick snickered and muttered, "Bothering Snape, ha! That's such an easy feat."

"Aha, so that would explain where you disappeared to on so many weekends during several semesters?" asked Poppy with a knowing smile. "Here we all thought you were ever so busy with leading a spy's double life, when in fact it was a triple life, now it seems."

Severus finally smirked and nodded. "Yes, it does, doesn't it."

"What, may I ask if you don't mind, is your ahh, muggle profession?" inquired Flitwick.

Caterina smiled gracefully. "Oh, no I don't mind, not at all. I was trained as a ballerina as well as in voice and some musical theory."

"Very interesting!" exclaimed the tiny professor. "Did you perform? What exactly is a ballerina?"

"I did at one time, though the last time was several years back. Have you never heard of a ballet or musical production?"

Half nodded their heads yes, while the other half no and so Caterina proceeded to describe the form of dance to them as well as various events that used such dancers. Severus sat there, half listening to his Caterina, half reminiscing over their first few meetings together and of watching her dancing that very first time.

Flitwick grew more and more excited as she talked and kept interrupting to ask her a variety of musical related questions. "I lead the Hogwarts choir and would love to possibly introduce more examples of muggle music and I know it's something we could certainly expand in our Muggle Studies curriculum in an effort to give more backing to our muggleborn students. Maybe your help could give us a wider variety to help broaden the horizons for those raised apart from most muggle forms of entertainment."

Caterina beamed excitedly and glanced at Severus who smiled approvingly and nodded.

"That sounds delightful and I'd be glad to help in any way."

Dinner ended with her promising to gather a few of her most favorite musical works; everything from _The Phantom of the Opera _and _The Nutcracker _to an ample sampling of modern musical performers and, of course, many of the best loved classics. And at that, Severus was reminded of something he'd been carrying with him.

As Caterina slipped into one of her sweet little satin and lace nighties, Severus changed and settled onto the couch to look over a bit of paperwork before bed. On her way over to join him, she spied an object nestled on her pillow. It happened to be another gorgeous, shimmering, long stem white rose with a small note beside it. It appeared oddly familiar. She picked it up and examined the words written by her own hand. Lines of a song from _The Phantom of the Opera _musical that she had doodled out in a moment's despair over not knowing what might have become of her precious Severus a few months earlier.

Her blue eyes clouded with happy tears as she smiled and read what he'd added beneath her words, "_No need for goodbye, I am forever yours_."

Caterina glanced over at the back of Severus where he sat, and, overcome by such an emotion of love for him, she felt as though her heart might burst from it. Note in hand, she quickly tiptoed over behind him and flung her arms over the back of the couch and around his neck, kissing his neck and cheek incessantly. After a few moments, Severus chuckled, laid down his papers and before she knew it, he had managed to adeptly lift her right over the couch and settle her facing him in his lap.

"How- when did you get this?" she asked, holding the little note up, her eyes still shining extra brightly from the tears.

"When I was released from the infirmary in May and went to find you at the cottage. I found it on the kitchen table."

"Oh Severus, I love you so much."

He smiled and cupped her face, pulling her just inches from his as she threaded her arms around the back of his neck, drawing herself tight against his chest.

"And I love you, more than anything in the world, my sweet Caterina," he told her, gently stroking her cheeks and kissing the tip of her nose. "You know, I need to clarify and correct something you said earlier this evening to the staff."

"What's that?" she asked, quite curious.

"You have _never_ in any way bothered me. I was only ever bothered by how I myself felt about you."

She made no reply but her sparkling eyes spoke for her.

He grinned, looking down the front of her nightie and bent his head to hers, whispering in his deep, rich voice, "Now, do you want to know how utterly mad these little bits of lacey and satiny nothings that you continue to wear are driving me?"

"Why yes… I would like to know," Caterina giggled.

Soon they were totally lost in the kiss that was being shared between them. It was slow, sensual and deeply passionate. They were exploding with the incredible feeling of desire and need for each other. So far they had refrained from being completely intimate yet, due partly to the fact that Caterina was always so tired and also on Healer Brock's advice. He did not want her taking any forms of muggle or wizard birth control due to interaction with the potion and how much it was already affecting her hormone levels on its own. It hadn't been entirely easy to control and tonight all that was cast aside as they both knew they would never be able to hold out any longer.

Severus' hands were already greedily working their way up under the purple fabric hanging around her thighs, clutching and grabbing her round bottom through her purple lace panties. Caterina made short work of pulling his undershirt off and caressing his bare skin with her soft hands, while peppering hot kisses all over him. When Severus couldn't wait a moment longer, he grabbed her hands, brought them together, holding them in one hand and raising them above her head. His other hand simply lifted the slippery purple nightie right up and off of her. He released her hands as he dropped the unwanted material to the floor and his own hands went to hold her steady on her silky smooth back as he brought his hungry mouth forward to kiss and suck her gorgeous breasts like a starved man.

While he was blissfully occupied by her breasts, her hands worked their way down to the waistband of his black pajama pants. Caterina stroked his thighs and after wrapping her fingers around him, she gave his throbbing desire a firm squeeze. Groaning deeply, he stood, holding her tightly against him as she worked to shove his pants down and off and he stepped right out of them, heading for the bed with her. Severus quickly laid her across it and crawled over top of her, fingering at the top edge of her lacy panties, trying to carefully tug them down nicely for once.

"Oh for God's sake, Severus, just rip them!" she implored, laughing.

Severus didn't need to be told twice and with a large smirk, they were rapidly torn off to be immediately replaced by his warm hands and sizzling lips. Her hands grasped at his black hair and entwined tightly into it as he seemed to be kissing and licking her everywhere. He did amazing things with his tongue; it was pure heaven. After a while, his tongue traced along on her hip for a few moments, just beside her tattoo. Then he worked his way up her stomach and back to her breasts once more. Gently, he teased and softly bit her sweet, pink nipples. Severus stroked and squeezed her breasts in his strong hands and worked his hot mouth over them, not missing a single bit of skin. It seemed like he spent half the night giving them his undivided attention in an effort to make up for leaving them alone and without his caressing kisses for so long. Caterina moaned and arched her back off the bed, begging and pleading with him not to stop, while trying to touch every inch of his naked body with hers.

She gasped and urged on his sensuously, probing touches as he went back down to her legs but let out a small whine when he ceased. She lifted her head slightly and looked down to find him holding his wand just above her stomach. There seemed to be a tiny flash as the tip of it touched her skin. Caterina shook her head, trying to clear the quick, desperate feeling that bordered oddly on dread.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, half perturbed.

"A modified shield charm that I recently did some reading up on for- "

A finger pressed sharply against his lips and, with an understanding chuckle, Caterina said, "Ohh… Tell me all about it later, right now just _show_ me how it works."

"With great pleasure," Severus groaned.

Severus dropped his wand on the nightstand and rested one splayed hand at the base of her neck. Leaning forward and pressing down lightly on her, he kissed her passionately once more before entering her, drinking in her beauty with his dark eyes. Caterina suddenly felt overcome and forced her eyes open, only to see the cold, sneering eyes and inhuman face of someone she didn't know. She let out a bloodcurdling scream and struck out with her hands, fighting wildly against him with all her might.

Within a few seconds, she heard Severus' deep voice calling her name and she clamped her eyes shut. After letting out a choked sob and swallowing hard, she dared to slowly open them again and this time it was her Severus there, no one else. He was firmly but gently holding her arms back. Two hot tears spilled down her cheeks and he carefully helped her as she struggled to sit up, gasping in fear. She tugged at the little bit of blanket that was near her and pulled it up around her front, all at once feeling frozen with the fright she had just experienced. Severus sat close beside her, desperate to know what had just happened but wisely giving her a minute to collect herself.

"It- it wasn't you for-for a moment," she half sobbed, leaning into his chest for support.

"What do you mean it wasn't... _me_?" he asked very slowly, a cold, icy fear seeping into his heart.

"I closed my eyes and when… when I opened them again, it wasn't you that I saw kissing me. I think- I think it was _him_, Severus."

"Bloody fuck," was Severus' only reply as he closed his eyes and sat stunned, trying to take in what she said, wondering why her memory had decided to finally release itself at such a horridly wrong moment like the present.

Caterina shivered so he pulled another blanket up and snuggly tucked it around her shoulders as he drew her protectively close into himself. She continued shaking all over, as tears dripped off both cheeks. Gently he rocked her in his arms, nestling his head against hers. Severus could feel her heart pounding and he desperately sought to calm and soothe her. His fear turned into something very different as his own heart raced in anger and blame. He watched her intently while her blue eyes still held a look of fear, staring off into a fixed, yet unseen spot across the room. It was a long while until she finally spoke again but when she did, her trembling had finally abated.

"It wasn't much, what I remember. He tried to- he choked me- held me to the wall…. somehow when you pressed on my neck, it just rushed out and I remembered that. Saw him, not you," she flinched. "And I-I think when you held the wand to my stomach I had- there was a brief flash of something then as well."

"How so?" Severus gingerly coaxed, forcing his face to remain calm with only his concern for her.

"He might have… it's like there had been something pressed into my chest. Hard. A gun maybe- I don't know."

"A gun? Or could it have possibly been a wand?" Severus quickly asked.

"I don't know! I just don't know, " Caterina almost shouted at him, slamming her little fist on the bed, tears pouring forth again.

"Shhh, Love, it's ok. You are completely safe now, I will never let anyone dare hurt you again," said Severus, trying fiercely to control the rage at this unknown bastard from slipping out in his voice and further scaring Caterina.

She reached her hands up and held his face sweetly while hiding her own face in his shoulder. "I'm so sorry Severus. I just… I didn't mean to ruin… tonight, between us."

"Caterina my Love, you did not ruin a single thing. It was all him and he'll pay dearly. I'll see to that myself. And we have plenty more times for tonight."

"But I have another potion dose tomorrow and that just screws everything up… I miss us-"

"Yes, I do as well. But once you're through with them all, well let's just say we'll have a lot of missed time to make up for. Somehow I will make all of this up to you."

The tears slowed and she nodded her head with a little grin finally playing around her lips at Severus' promise. With a quick wave, Severus retrieved their clothes from the couch. He helped her under the bed covers and she snuggled so tightly to him as if the only solace she could find was from his engulfing touch. The candles went out completely with another wave from Severus, leaving the only light coming from the enchanted ceiling.

After a little while she signed, "I can't even really tell you what he looks like. His eyes were so cold and terrifying, almost inhuman, cruel. Other than that, the image in my head isn't really clear but I'm completely certain it's someone I've never met or seen before. And…"

"And what, Love?"

"I can't explain it, but somehow I feel certain that someone else sent him to do- to do what he did."

Severus tightened her hold around her as they lay there. Knowing sleep was far off, he was finally glad to be in the dark so she could not read the look of anger and revulsion that he felt. He was unable to stop the internal fury that was building inside him over who had done this to her and felt a growing hatred at himself for so stupidly thinking that abandoning her for almost a year would ever have been the safest option. Ultimately, he knew he was just as responsible for the attack as if he himself had been the one to have laid hands on her. He could blame no one but himself for all that had befallen her. The baby might not have been lost had he been there and gotten her to St. Mungo's. Most certainly, she never would have been attacked and left in an unconscious state for nearly three months with the blood mismatching getting so out of hand in her system.

The severity of his own actions to cause all of it came crashing horrendously down over him in a flood of self-loathing. Severus carefully slipped out of Caterina's sweet embrace and out of bed. He needed to think and re-evaluate his actions. So many mistakes had happened, mistakes caused by him and now he wondered if bringing Caterina to Hogwarts was yet another. He felt so hopelessly unworthy and undeserving of her with all he had put her through. The stabbing fear began to pierce through his heart again. What if these resurfacing memories now caused her to reach her breaking point? All too soon, she would realize it, that it had all been his fault, that he had caused her all this terrible suffering. When would she see him for the contemptible and atrocious man that he really was? Would she start to resent him? Hate him? Possibly even leave him over it? Could he ever bear such a thing, now that he'd had a taste of so precious a thing as love?

A strong feeling of suffocation came crashing down on him, one he had only felt a few times before, most recently after having taken Albus' life. At that memory, again he saw himself as a horrid and despicable man, never worthy of anyone's love. How long would it be until she clearly saw him for what he'd truly become through the long years, and all of his treacherous actions? Was he tainting her? There seemed to be no air left in the room and he threw open the doors to the balcony, gasping and clutching at his own neck, trying to force air into his lungs. Each breath burned like fire, and he slumped down into the nearest chair, hanging his head between his hands.

How long he stayed as such he didn't know. His mind raced in every direction at once. What could he do? What should he do? Most importantly, what was best for his Love, Caterina? He could and would never ever willingly leave her again, of that he was most sure. Would he push her away for her own safety? No, he could not, for, without a doubt, he knew the rest of his life would be spent protecting and ensuring that she was always safe and happy. He'd always felt strangely protective of her, almost since the very beginning, but now he couldn't believe how that feeling and need to do so had grown. But would she best be served by him no longer existing as an active part of her everyday life, he wondered? What was the best and most logical course of action? Dark thoughts were beginning to consume him as he openly acknowledged to himself what he'd often felt in his head and heart at times: Caterina deserved so much better, so much more, than him. He needed to make a decision.

A short while later, Caterina suddenly sat up, gasping softly and feeling very unsettled. Forcing her sleepy eyes wide, she saw a huge flash of brilliant light. It momentarily lit the entire room and in that brief second, she saw Severus was no longer beside her; he was gone.

* * *

A/N: Some awful bad timing there, and someone sure is wallowing in it, rather deep, huh? Severus found that note in Ch. 34, in case you forgot where it was. ;) Cross your fingers that he gets his thoughts sorted! Thanks for reading, my lovelies!


	45. Touching a Heart and Kissing a Soul

**Chapter 45**

**Touching a Heart and Kissing a Soul**

Caterina sat up in the bed, still and unmoving, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. There came a cooling breeze washing over her and, looking toward the windows, she could make out the opened balcony doors. Noiselessly, she slipped out of bed to peek through them. There Severus sat hunched over in one of the chairs, his head in his hands and his long curtain of dark hair hung forward, shielding what his hands did not.

Caterina drew a tiny breath at the sight of him. She had never once seen him in such a defeated looking stance. Once again there came another huge flash and Caterina watched in awe as a giant bolt of lightning illuminated the entire night sky. She waited for the thunder but it never came as the storm was still far off. The lightning continued to make its presence known in powerful, yet silent, dancing flashes.

Without a sound she advanced to stand in front of him and gently she reached for his chin, tilting it up to face her. Gradually opening his dark eyes and dropping his hands to his lap, he stared at her with a sad, dejected countenance.

"What's wrong, Darling?" she asked in a soft whisper, running a gentle finger over his lips.

When he didn't respond, she caressed his cheek and stepped forward, dropping gracefully down to her knees and resting her arms across his lap, to meet him almost at eye level. Briefly, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Severus?" she whispered again.

He sat, so torn over the beautiful woman in front of him, not knowing what to say to her and not understanding why and how she could look at him with eyes so full of pure love. From the strong look of it that filled her gaze and the feeling of extreme tenderness he felt in her touch, it was enough to undo him. How could she truly feel such things for him?

Knowing he owed her nothing less than the whole truth, he struggled for a long minute to find the words that would give his feelings their truest meaning so he could best explain himself. Expressing emotions of this kind he had only ever done for her and because of her.

Deliberately, he took her hand and achingly kissed the back of it before speaking. "As much as I wish it were not true, I can only come to one conclusion. That I alone am the only one who can be blamed for all that has befallen you this past year. Losing the baby, the attack, all of it would not have happened had I not been so- so absurdly stubborn and final in separating us when I should have taken you with me somehow. You need to understand this, Caterina. I cannot have you believing me to be something or someone I'm not. I have not cared for you like I should have and the consequences of my actions have- "

He didn't get to finish as Caterina brought her hand up and gave his cheek a sharp slap. Stunned, he looked up at her wide-eyed and ready to see the anger and possible hatred she might now feel toward him for being the cause of all her pain.

"If that didn't knock some sense into you, I'll do it again, and harder! How dare you, Severus Snape!" Caterina hotly retorted. "I know you much better than you think I do and if I understand correctly, you've been sitting out here beating yourself over the head, blaming yourself for - for _everything_. How utterly bigheaded and selfish of you!"

"Caterina, I could never hope to truly deserve you with the things I've done, things I've caused to happen." Severus' face was greatly pained. "There was a reason I spent those years, hell-bent on pushing you away, determined I was bad for you, it's simply because I am bad for you, dangerous in fact-

"Stop! Just stop there, Severus. You've said that before and I think you fail to realize that I need you just as much as you need me. And what does deserving have to do with loving? In so many ways it's unbelievable that two people as different as we are could ever come together and fall in love. But it happened," Caterina paused as she herself suddenly realized something. "I never used to understand it with my own parents, being so in love, with how opposite their personalities were. Now it's strikingly clear and simple. We're meant to be together, to love each other and to help each other, just like they were. I've always felt drawn to you, never really getting it or understanding why until I realized it was love bringing us to each other. Yes, some bad and terrible things have happened along the way but we made it through them all so we could be together now."

Severus looked down at the ground. "I've never understood how you can love someone like me, with my tangled past."

Caterina took his hands in hers, "Severus, you need to let this poor self-image you have of yourself go, completely, along with all this unnecessary blame and guilt you've placed on yourself. You've spent too many years trying to atone for a mistake you made in your youth and somehow along the way, you took on way more than you ever needed to, pushing yourself even to the brink of death over it all. Severus," she squeezed his hands and brought them up to her heart. "I honestly do not believe you have ever been a bad person. Some of your choices were not the wisest but you are a rare person who learned from those mistakes and then went above and beyond what most normal humans would ever do to fix them."

Severus closed his eyes and bowed his head, appearing almost overcome by her words.

"Darling, maybe you went along with some terrible things a long time ago but what Dumbledore asked you to do was terribly selfish on his part, knowing that you didn't want to be a part of it. From how it sounds, he used you for far too long to do his bidding in all of this. I know you were willing and certainly capable, I just believe there could have been a better way around many things that had to happen."

"He always believed everyone was safest when as few people as possible knew what was truly going on," Severus explained.

"But at what cost to those few who did know and those who had to deal with the entire burden of protecting everyone else, by themselves? Everyone believed you a traitor for your actions. That alone would have been enough to break a weaker man, not to mention the fact that he'd asked you to take his life." She took a deep breath and reached up to caress his cheek and forced him to look at her. "The point is that you did so much more than you ever give yourself credit for, but it's over now and you can finally start to let it go and I want to help you. I know you will always carry some scars with you from this but now you need to let go of the past and move on to the present, for us. That's what matters most now, as I believe you said not long ago yourself."

"I still don't think I've ever done anything to deserve your love- "

Caterina clapped her hand over his lips to stop his words and spoke softly yet firm, "You don't have to do anything to deserve my love; that is not required for me to be able to give it. You deserve it though because of the love that you give me in return and for how you make me feel, for how you protect me and care for me."

Again his face dropped down and turned away from her at the word 'protect'.

There was a faint rumble building now in the distance with the growing lightning as she sighed, "Severus, tell me something. What do you really believe in your heart, would have happened if you'd have brought me along to Hogwarts with you last summer? There's no way you could have kept the others from finding out about me and do you think he would have allowed you to knowingly stay with a muggle? There's no way you could have protected both of us at that point without blowing your cover wide open. You are blaming yourself for circumstances well out of your control. That's not fair to you."

"Maybe or maybe not. I might have been able to find a way…." he said pleadingly.

"You're grasping and holding onto nothing and you know it. You can't spend your life wondering what if over all of this. Bringing me here most assuredly would have ended far worse than things did by you leaving me for those months."

She rose up off her knees and seated herself in Severus' lap, arms sliding around his neck and with her face inches from his, she whispered, "I do not blame you, and I never will, for what happened because it's not your fault. But I do love you and I will always love you, Severus Snape. I love you more than anything and not a single thing you can tell me or do is going to change that, ever. I believe I told you that before and I would appreciate it if you would stop doubting me."

Severus smiled one of his rarest of smiles at her as he took her face in his hands and kissed her with such raging and fiery passion, it brought tears to her eyes.

When he finally pulled away, his own eyes appeared slightly misty as he spoke, still holding her face tenderly and sounding the most sure he had during their talk on the balcony. "Caterina, you have given my life so much more meaning than it ever had before. And you- you taught me how to use my heart. I, without a doubt, am truly the luckiest man alive to have you and your sweet, pure love and understanding."

"Finally! That's the first reasonable thing you've said this whole while!" she chuckled and he rewarded her with a little swat to her bottom. "Now if you've stopped acting like a bit of an ass, let's go back to bed so you can properly hold mine." There came a terrific bolt of lightning, followed by a clap of thunder that caused Caterina to shiver. "And before this storm lets loose."

Severus snorted, "Yes, I am sorry, I believe I'm done being an ass and I will certainly hold yours now, in all its plump loveliness. It's my one and only favorite, you know."

He carried her back to bed with a much lighter heart and freer soul than he had left it with, finally beginning to see the folly of his earlier thoughts. He would never doubt her love or his deserving of it from now on. Caterina was right; he had been grasping at nothing, when trying to believe she would have been safer at Hogwarts with him. There would have never been any way that he could have hidden her being a muggle from the Carrows. He'd been forcing himself to take all the blame for happenings beyond his control, no matter how carefully he'd tried to hide and protect her. And she was absolutely correct; he needed to start letting the past go now and focus on their future, together. Severus would redirect his feelings of guilt and blame to finding the true perpetrator.

Soon he felt her wondrously sweet lips against his cheek and then she whispered, "I'm sorry I slapped you- "

Shaking his head, he closed his arms around her. "No, don't be, I most certainly needed it. And I expect that you would do it again if I ever venture into such foolish thoughts. You were right in calling me out on it."

Then he drew her so tightly against himself that she squealed sharply in protest. Swiftly kissing her again, he stopped her protesting instantly. Caterina sighed happily before rolling comfortably to her side as Severus curled his body behind and tightly pressed against hers with one hand firmly clutching the bare skin of her backside and the other snaking around to cup her breast. He kissed the back of her neck and reveled in the fresh familiar scent of her curls as she sighed, utterly content with this arrangement of their bodies.

"Thank you for loving me, in spite of myself. I don't know where I'd be without you, Caterina Clarkstone. If I hadn't been home that day you first showed up…."

Stifling a small yawn, she turned her head toward him, "I'd like to believe that no matter what, at some point in time we would have still crossed paths; after all I was carefully watching for you, remember."

"And if I would have had any idea, I'd have been home all the time, just waiting for you to come along," Severus said with great feeling, then he kissed her once more, before they fell into a happy, peaceful sleep.

Despite the fact that it had been a very late night previous, Severus awoke early the next morning. He had never been one to lounge in bed, at least not until Caterina came along and gave him reason to want to. Now, many mornings, he was quite content to lie there, holding her and watching with fascination at her beautiful sleeping form. She had become his angel, saving him from a whole assortment of hideous fates and sins.

Like always, soon he could not just watch any longer and needed to touch her softness, beginning to trace his long fingers delicately up and down her bare arm, around her neck and across her cheek. After a few minutes, his actions were rewarded by a sweet, sleepy smile as Caterina turned toward him completely and stretched up her head, eager for his lips. Severus obliged her, scooping her into his arms and rolling to his back so she was lying upon his lean chest. She wrapped herself around him and snuggled her head into his shoulder.

"Good morning, handsome," she whispered while stretching her arms up and then ruffling her fingers into his fine hair. "It's Saturday, isn't it?"

"Yes," he answered with a most serene smile.

Caterina locked her knees against his hips and asked, "Can we stay here all day, please?"

"As much as I would thoroughly enjoy that, there are just a few things I need to tend to and _someone_ needs to take a potion dose."

Giving a small agitated exhale, she pouted, "I was afraid you were going to say that."

"But I see no need to rush, we can wait a little while longer, maybe take it around lunchtime and then the full effects shouldn't hit you until we retire again tonight," Severus told her.

"Oh, that sounds a little more reasonable."

Caterina, in her thanks, began tracing her fingernails lightly around on his chest and kissing his neck in a most alluring fashion. His hands automatically moved to grasp her round bottom and firmly press her to himself.

"Severus?"

"Yes, Love?"

"So, about that charm you did last-"

"It lasts about twenty-four hours."

That was all Caterina needed to hear and, with that, she pushed herself up off his chest and quickly lifted off her nightie to his great pleasure. Bringing her smooth hands back down to rest on his shoulders, she gave him a tiny wink and a vixenish smile. It had been far too long and they wanted and needed each other more than ever before as they regarded each other with a long, sensuous stare of fiery, bubbling passion. Severus let out a low growl at the straining he felt with her straddling him so tightly.

"Are you sure?" he asked, not wanting to ruin the moment by directly bringing up her flashback from the evening before but not wanting a repeat of it as well.

"I've always been sure about _you_, Severus Snape." Caterina leaned forward and kissed the tip of his long nose.

All he could do was grunt in reply while shifting her forward and up a ways so he could immediately remove his pants. Caterina leaned in to trace his lips teasingly with her tongue and before she could react, the mended lace panties were ripped again and promptly flung across the room. She laughed at his impatience but dipped her chest down to his face, allowing him to smoother her breasts with his tongue and lips for several long and glorious minutes. Skillfully, Severus held her in place as he struggled to sit up, his back resting against the bed's wooden headboard. Knees bent under herself, Caterina went to sit back down on him but his firm grip on her hips refused her movement. They locked eyes and with unhurried passion, Severus arched his body up slightly to enter her. Only when fully engulfed in her welcoming tightness did he allow her to move. Caterina gasped sharply as her eyes fluttered frantically in pleasure and she touched his face tenderly.

Together their joined bodies rose and fell on the bed as they fought to become even closer. Severus groaned at the wondrous feeling of Caterina sliding against him as he pushed harder and deeper, bringing his strong hands down on her shoulders and helping to force her glorious heat around him. She trembled and moaned lusciously as they continued in their impassioned lovers' dance. Caterina arched herself, curls cascading down from her head and brushing his legs. Letting out several unbridled screams and breathless pants as Severus held her, his hand upon her lower back, she pulled his head forward to her chest. He needed no encouragement though and began kissing, tugging and teasing with his teeth. When he sat back and drew her to himself, the steady momentum increased and his other hand came up to rest in the valley between her creamy breasts. His black eyes pooled to liquid fire as they watched her writhing body, bouncing and quaking atop of his.

"Ohhhh… Severus!" she wailed as he lifted her up off him completely with a surprising strength.

He smirked at her whimpering before letting her back down again, increasing his thrusts and moving his hands to her thighs.

"Is this… what you… wanted?" he asked in a rich but husky and breathless voice.

She was too overcome with the feeling and fullness of him and the unbelievably pleasing friction passing between their bodies to properly answer. Caterina entwined her arms around Severus and clawed at his back, letting out incoherent sounds of pure, tranquil delirium as Severus groaned with total enjoyment. As he felt her body cling even tighter to his, her fingers ran up his back and gathered handfuls of his long, raven locks. Caterina arched back again sharply from him, still holding his hair and pulling it while screaming his name as the thick waves of convulsing ecstasy began to wash through her, swiftly bringing Severus along in the same euphoric pleasure and release.

The sensuous feelings still burning acutely within their bodies, Severus collapsed onto his side on the bed, taking Caterina with him, both too weak and limp to bother untangling their limbs and not even wanting to do so. His arms encircled her and her fingers still wound into his hair. Slowly she began running her fingers through his hair and over his head, knowing how much he loved it. And once again, their eyes were locked, his smoldering black orbs searching the depths of her brilliant azure stars. They lay there a long while as their hearts raced together, lost in the haze of satisfied dreaminess.

Finally letting go with one hand, Severus drew a long, seductive line with his fingers, starting at her neck and leading all the way down to the flat plane of her stomach. Then he lovingly traced along the lines of her scars before he kissed her ever so deeply once more. Slowly, reluctantly, he pulled away, knowing they needed to get their day started but not wanting to end the magic of the moment.

Caterina sighed with happiness and giggled, touching his cheek lovingly, "Well, I'm glad we got that all straightened out and completely settled from last night."

"Me too, my Love." he agreed with a peaceful smile, punctuating each word with a generous kiss across her chest. "Now unfortunately, I have a few potions that I must see to before they are ruined."

Caterina frowned playfully but nodded. Severus took his time prying himself from her sweet embrace. He ran his fingers through her long curls and tried to straighten some of the wild twists and tangles in it from their ardent love-making.

"You don't have to move an inch if you don't want to, my sweet Love. I'll be back in less than two hours," he said, tracing the curves of her collarbone with his lips again before leaving her to quickly shower and dress.

With several more achingly profound kisses shared between them and some tender caresses, he left for the dungeons. For a few minutes, she laid back on the pillows smiling in sheer rapture. At last, she slipped into her silk bathrobe and headed into the bathroom to shower. Once done and dressed in a short, flowing chocolate brown sundress, Caterina fidgeted around, wondering how to pass some time until Severus returned. She had gone through what Jamison had sent and worked out several replies and the rest could wait. Glancing down at her bare feet, she decided to paint her toenails, something she hadn't done in ages but always found relaxing. Gathering her makeup bag and lounging on the couch, she selected a soft shade of pink. As she finished and waited for them to dry, she heard a sudden rustling noise coming from the bathroom, followed by the padding of little quick feet.

"Stella?" she called expectedly, walking over and searching all around for the little elf.

In the far right corner, behind the side of the sink, she spotted Stella's big eyes peering up over it at her.

"Are you hiding in here?"

Quickly, the little creature ran forward and grabbed Caterina's leg and held on tightly to her. It only took a second to realize that Stella was sobbing. Caterina laid a comforting hand on her head and asked what was wrong.

The little elf looked woefully up at her and between broken sobs said, "I's failed in my jobs to protect you. Master be angrys with me but… but master is a bad man sometimes. They say he's changed long time go but Stella worry it not so."

At that the elf slapped her hands over her mouth, stomped her feet and wailed, "I shouldn't have said that. Bad Stella, very bad Stella! Not proper to say ugly things 'bout him. I need punishment."

Caterina stood completely baffled over this display but knew enough from what Severus had told her that Stella could become upset enough to try and hurt herself. Coaxing her over to the couch, Caterina gently asked the little elf to explain what was wrong and how Severus was a bad man, wondering all the while if she'd simply encountered him in a foul mood recently.

"I shouldn't, I shouldn't tell. I can'ts. He be so angry. But I's can't bear to see my beautiful mistress hurt. Forgive please, that I not helps you, and tells me my punishment."

Caterina, still entirely confused, wondered if she could bribe the information out of Stella. Looking around, her eyes fell on just the thing and, twenty minutes later, Stella was finally smiling gleefully while Caterina could barely contain her own wild mix of emotions. Following the little elf to the dungeons in search of Severus, she didn't know if she'd done the right thing or not. Stella located Severus in the Potion Master's office and Caterina was overjoyed to discover he was alone.

Severus looked up from the desk in surprise to see Caterina and quickly raised an inquisitive brow at the half-crazed smile he found on Stella's face. Caterina motioned for him to stay put and the two crossed the room to the desk.

"I was just wrapping a few items up for the day and about to head back to you."

"Well this really couldn't wait, so I had Stella bring me to you," Caterina managed in a falsely sweet and sing-song like voice, giving a side-nod toward Stella.

"Oh, I see." Severus raised a sharp eyebrow.

Severus followed Caterina's eyes down and surveyed the little elf. Stella seemed elated and ecstatic about something as she mutely clapped her hands together while rocking back and forth on her heels and making tiny cooing sounds every few moments. Through further scrutiny, Severus then noticed the house elf's toes and that they were a lurid, bright pink. Yanking his head back up to Caterina's for an explanation, she just closed her eyes and shook her head.

Giving Stella another pat, Caterina barely muttered the words to dismiss her from their presence and as soon as the elf was gone, she tumbled into Severus' lap, shaking, her head buried in his long black hair. At first Severus stiffened, scared that she'd had another flashback and he hadn't been there to comfort her. But soon he realized she was laughing most uncontrollably. He couldn't help but smile at seeing her so jovial.

Gasping between her words, she finally attempted to speak. "Oh Severus, I - I don't even know where to begin."

"Ahh… How about explaining why Stella has horrid pink toes?"

"I had to. I thought it best to bribe her with something, so I let her use it."

"Bribe her? Good heavens, for what?" Severus was in shock.

"Oh well, because you are one very bad master and she was so beside herself over it, she wanted to tell the nice but stern madam," Caterina giggled.

Severus thought for a moment before venturing a guess, "Minerva?"

"Yes, oh and I'm the _mistress_ by the way."

Severus snorted wickedly at that, "And what a wonderful, seductive mistress you are, my Love."

Caterina playfully punched him in the ribs and narrowed her eyes teasingly at him. He grabbed her hands and held them tight as he planted a quick kiss on her lips.

"Oh, but you are, my Love, as I found out in a most gratifying fashion again this morning. Now, how am I such a _bad_ master?

"Umm, well darling, she _heard_ us."

"What do you mean, heard us?"

"Oh you know, making up for lost time this morning," Caterina said lightly.

Severus suddenly took in the meaning of her words and had she not been seated in his lap he probably would have easily hit the ceiling in raging anger.

"I need to-"

"No you don't," Caterina insisted, not even knowing what he might have in mind, though she could figure on any number of things. "I already took care of everything and explained- "

"You explained? Caterina! That's not something she needs any knowledge of, whether bound to secrecy or not!" he growled in disgust at the thought of anyone knowing what went on between him and Caterina.

Caterina frowned at him as he sat staring off to the side and muttered to himself. She could only make out a few words and one of them in particular caught her attention.

"Obliviate? What's that do again?" she asked.

"Removes certain memories," he said automatically.

She thought for a moment. "Severus, you wouldn't! That's so unfair and you haven't even let me tell you what happened. It was an accident and, like I said, I already smoothed things over and she'll never say you're a bad master again."

He looked up at her pleading eyes. "Tell me what _exactly_ did you _explain _to her?"

"Apparently she was returning things to the closet and she overheard us, but it's not what you think, Darling. Umm… since she _only_ heard us, well namely my ahh… screams, she assumed that you were hurting me somehow."

Caterina couldn't help snicker at the look on his face. It was now caught somewhere between utter amusement and fierce anger. Severus closed his eyes tightly and pinched the bridge of his nose, before taking a deep calming breath.

"Hurting you?" His black eyes widened.

"Yes and she said that, knowing how powerful of a wizard you are, she was too afraid to come to my aid so she waited until you left and then came back to check on me. And she wanted to be punished for it but I told her- "

"You told her what?"

"Severus, _stop_ interrupting. I told her the only thing I could think of off the top of my head; that I was fine and that you were never hurting me, that it was just umm… well a game that we play, where you ah, tickle me until I scream. Repeatedly," Caterina paused to trace the smirk he was now wearing with her finger as he shook his head in disbelief. "And she seemed to understand that. And once she didn't feel so bad over it all and I made her see there was no punishment needed, I let her paint her toes. Which, as you can tell, she absolutely adored and when I asked her not to mention it to anyone, she told me that you had already informed her that what I say is just as secret as what you might say. So… no harm done?"

Severus just closed his eyes, threw his head back and belted out a loud, roaring laugh. Caterina smiled, feeling a bit more relieved now that his anger over the situation seemed to have passed.

"See Dearest, no reason at all to panic," she chided, giving him another playful punch. "Honestly, did you really believe I would actually explain sex to her?"

"I think only you would ever think to explain it so ingeniously." Severus let out a resigned sigh. "I can see I'll need to add a few sound proofing charms."

Caterina narrowed her blue eyes, teasing him. "You say that as if it's a bad thing."

"Not at all, my sweet Love, for if it were, I would silence _you_ instead. But that would never do as I enjoy hearing you far too immensely to ever do such a thing," Severus purred close to her ear, holding a quite lustful look in his dark eyes.

"Oh, I know you do," smirked Caterina, leaning forward and allowing him to take possession of her lips.

Her fingers went immediately running through his shiny hair as he grasped her close to himself. Their kiss felt as though it were laced with a heavenly aphrodisiac that rushed through them both at an alarming rate, pulling their strong desires right to the surface again. Caterina moaned lightly while his hands dropped down to find their way up her smooth legs and under her dress. Severus paused, reached for his wand and wordlessly sealed the door and silenced the room.

"Scream as loud as you want," he whispered elegantly in her ear. "For only _I _will be able to enjoy hearing them."

* * *

After lunch and Caterina's next dose, they took a leisurely walk down around the Black Lake. Severus conjured a blanket under the large tree near the water's edge again. Caterina sat with a book, head resting lightly against his chest as he sat leaning back on the tree, reading through a variety of correspondences and documents. After a little while Severus noticed that Caterina's book dropped to her lap and she'd nodded off. It had been a rather late night and quite the eventful morning for them so he adjusted his posture to make her more comfortable. He continued his reading until he heard a noise coming a little ways off, just inside the Forbidden Forest. Watching carefully with a trained eye, he caught sight of a soft golden glow and had an idea as to what it might be. Gently he woke Caterina.

"There's something I think you'd enjoy seeing in the forest," he explained quietly.

Her blue eyes blinked several times as she looked around, remembering they were outside by the lake. She looked up at him with slight apprehension over entering the woods that she'd learned held such varied dangerous creatures and beings.

"What is it?"

"Oh a surprise," he smiled reassuringly. "It's completely safe, I promise, Caterina. or I would never consider taking you in there to see it."

"Well, I do have a tall, dark and handsome wizard to protect me, don't I?" she winked.

"Always," he promised fervently as he kissed the top of her head.

Severus stretched his long legs, then stood and helped Caterina to her feet. She brushed out the crinkles in her sundress and slipped her hand into his. They walked the short distance to the forest's edge where Severus found a narrow path for them to follow along. He seemed to be watching off toward a dense patch of trees and soon Caterina could make out a bright glow coming from that direction. Severus paused and motioned for her to remain quiet. When he proceeded again, he walked much slower, keeping her shielded behind him, and being quite careful in his step not to disturb anything on the path that would make noise. Caterina watched intently as the glow appeared to move at times, almost shimmering as its light bounced among the thicket. Severus stopped suddenly as a small clearing gave way in front of them just around the thicket, finally revealing what he'd wanted her to see.

Carefully, he guided her to stand directly before him as he held her firmly by her hips. She sucked in a long, deep breath at the sight she now saw. For only about thirty feet from them, laid nestled in a thick patch of soft, deep green grass was a foal, pure gold in color. The soft glowing light they'd watched as they made their way to it had been the sun's rays streaming through the trees and reflecting off of it.

In her ear, Severus whispered, "It looks to be only a few hours old. I've never seen one so small and young, myself."

"What is it exactly?" she breathed.

"A unicorn."

She stood gazing, transfixed by the beautiful sight until they heard a tiny rustling to their left. They both looked and saw the mother unicorn watching them. Severus drew Caterina back against his body as she let out a small sigh of awe over her magnificent appearance and the spectacular white coloring of her coat. She had a grand looking horn, just over a foot in length. The mother regarded them for a moment longer then stepped carefully over a mossy log to her little foal. At its mother's approach, the foal pushed up on its long, spindly legs and took a few cautious steps toward her. The glow from its coat danced brilliantly all around them as it crossed the sun's rays. After watching its mother for a short time, the foal turned toward Severus and Caterina, though as it resumed its steps, it headed in their direction.

Caterina was so surprised, she found herself holding her breath and standing motionless, not wanting to scare it. The little foal didn't stop again until it was just in front of Caterina. Ever so slowly, Caterina raised her hand to it and the foal leaned forward to sniff her fingers. It lightly nudged her hand. Hesitantly, she touched its forehead and soon the foal was letting her pet and stroke its head and mane. It felt as soft as the richest of silks. The mother followed warily behind her foal but kept to a safe distance, closely observing their movements.

The foal allowed her touch for several more minutes before nudging her hand and stepping back away to its mother. Caterina and Severus watched as the mother lovingly worked over her baby with her muzzle. Then the foal returned to the grassy patch and dropped down to rest once again while its mother stood protectively beside it. They watched a bit longer until Severus finally took her hand and silently led her out of the Forbidden Forest and back to their things under the tree.

"That was simply amazing, Severus! I had no idea they would be so utterly beautiful and enchanting," Caterina laughed breathlessly and gracefully twirled around, before dropping down onto the blanket.

Severus joined Caterina, taking her into his arms, pleased that she was so thrilled over having seen the unicorns. This is what he enjoyed best of all, seeing her so happy and carefree. She sighed blissfully and kissed his cheek. They sat there as Severus told her more about the wondrous creatures they'd encountered before going back to his papers. Every few minutes, he would catch her staring at him as Caterina laid back on the blanket and watched him adoringly. When she began caressing his back, he turned, swooped down and kissed her unexpectedly, eliciting a giggle from her.

All of a sudden there came a loud whooshing noise with a whirl of flapping wind just above them. Severus pulled away from her to settle his black eyes upon a large, mottled eagle owl.

"It can't be," Severus murmured in shock as he removed the rolled parchment from the impatient bird.

The second its delivery was off, the indignant owl retreated. Severus stared at the parchment with an obvious frown before using his wand to unseal its magical binding. His eyes grew wide as he read:

_"Severus,_

_I know I'm probably the very last person you want to hear from but I'm desperate and, in all honesty, once again I find I have no one else to turn to but you. Being already greatly indebted to you for your actions in protecting my Draco from a terrible fate, I shouldn't ask anything more of you ever, but I must, for I fear you are the only one I can trust._

_We may not have always seen eye to eye on matters, though I must tell you I am supremely happy with the true path you had been following all along. I only wish that more of us would have been so brave and wise in doing so._

_I would be eternally grateful and more than willing to repay you in any way possible if you would consent to spare even but half an hour of your time to meet with me, for I have a matter most urgent to speak to you about._

_You are always welcome at the Manor but I understand if you would rather choose a different place. Just send word immediately._

_Sincerely in your service,_

_Narcissa Malfoy"_

Whatever could she possibly want with him? His mind raced, unsure of what to do but realizing at the same time this could be a golden opportunity to greatly aid him in his quest to uncover Caterina's attacker if he played his cards just right. Severus remained quiet, deep in thought, as they headed back to the castle.

Some time was spent debating with Dumbledore and Minerva in the headmaster's office as Caterina now listened quietly to it all. In the end, it was decided that Severus would instruct Narcissa Malfoy to come to Hogwarts the next day, as they all believed it could just very well be a plot designed to get to Severus himself. They were all a bit anxious when they left the office, although a satisfied smirk was clear upon Minerva McGonagall's face over the fact that her own small plan of action seemed to be coming along rather brilliantly so far.

* * *

A/N: Honestly, did you _really _think he'd leave her? She just needed to help him work through his misplaced feelings of guilt so they could move on to happier times again. Now, what could the lovely Mrs. Malfoy possibly want with him?

Song for this chapter In Her Eyes by Josh Groban. :)

I just want say thanks again for the reviews and sweet comments and to those who have added A Place for My Heart to their favorites and alerts! I'm humbled!


	46. Searching

**Chapter 46**

**Searching**

Severus awoke early again the next morning, the impending visit with Narcissa Malfoy heavy upon his mind. He found himself running through all sorts of scenarios of what she could possibly want with him. Was it actually conceivable that she might have uncovered information about Caterina's attack herself? Severus did not dare allow himself to hope, for that would be too good to be true. Only a few hours until he would discover the nature for her surprise contact with him.

While trying to decide on what was to come with this meeting, he felt soft, warm fingers wiggling lightly against the skin of his chest, causing him to grin. Caterina, still sleeping soundly, had rolled closer to him and was flexing her fingers. Watching her, his thoughts quickly shifted onto another troubling matter. A visit to Spinner's End was required as he needed to search out a particular item of interest. Would she feel up to taking a trip to the shabby, old house? He also guessed it was probably high time to remove anything left of worth there, as he knew there was definitely no need to keep the place any longer. Really the only items of value would be his vast book collection, along with a few Prince family mementos and perhaps a trinket or two of his mother's. Caterina would probably enjoy a few of her things, being as sweetly sentimental as she was over such matters.

Drifting into his thoughts now as he caressed her face, was his and Caterina's future together. She had expressed to him on many occasions that she wanted to be with none other than him. Admittedly, at times, he still found it mind boggling that a woman, and a beautiful woman at that, wanted him but he knew she whole-heartedly meant it and he knew he felt the exact same way about her. Being parted from her now would only bring torturous pain of every imaginable kind. Caterina had been correct in what she'd said the other evening; not only did they desire each other but they needed each other. They had both filled a vacant void of sorts for the other when they'd finally admitted their love.

Before the destruction of Voldemort, he'd barely allowed himself more than a brief second to wonder if she would someday consent to marry him. Now with those treacherous days at an end, he'd started to ponder the thought more often. It was strange, yet thrilling, to think of possibly having a wife and maybe, one day, even a child, though he still felt quite unsettled about the prospect of that. Gently, he pulled her even closer into his arms, wondering how best to go about asking her, along with when and where. Severus did not know much about such rituals but he understood it as always being rather important to the woman.

"What has you grinning so?" asked Caterina's soft voice.

Severus' eyes shot to her face, surprised to see her awake so early after yesterday's potion dose. Dipping his lips down to greet her, he stroked several long, curly tresses back from her cheek. He quite enjoyed the way her long curls flowed down her bare back and over her smooth shoulders.

"Your hair has gotten so long this past year," he said, somewhat distracted by admiring it.

She gave a little yawn, "Yes it has. I probably need another good trim. But that doesn't answer my question."

"Oh, why, you. I was thinking of you, what else?"

Caterina gave him an adoring sweet, sleepy smile.

Pressing his hand to her cheek, Severus kissed her nose and her forehead, then he asked, "How do you feel this morning?"

She took a moment deciding on her answer. "Actually, not nearly as tired as I'd expected. I wonder if it just hasn't hit me completely yet or could I be getting more adjusted to it?"

He studied her closely with a tentative look on his face. "Unfortunately I am privy to very little information in regards to this potion. It's possible that it could be one or the other, or a combination of both. Slughorn, while he was aware of the potion, is no more informed of its makeup than I am. If I knew all of what went into the making of it I could better guess as to how it might affect you, more so than just what Brock told us."

Caterina slowly sat up, giving a slight groan.

"Caterina?" he asked, quickly concerned, following her movement with wary eyes.

"Oh, it's time, I think, to get working on stretching out and building up my muscle tone a bit more."

Severus frowned. "I wish I were able to just give you a potion to help with that."

She shook her head and said, "No, really, I'm actually eager to work on some strengthening exercises from ballet. I'm starting to miss not practicing it like I used to. I've never really taken such a long break from it before."

"Well there's plenty of space around here for you to dance and _I'll _certainly enjoy watching you. It's become a favorite pastime of mine." he replied with a knowing smirk.

Caterina leaned into his warm chest and he locked his arms around her, kissing her head. Remembering the meeting with this Narcissa Malfoy lady, she suddenly felt on edge and agitated. Caterina couldn't put her finger on it but something just didn't sit well about the whole situation with her. She'd never met the woman and usually gave people the benefit of the doubt. But knowing of how she had previously gotten her claws dangerously into Severus in a life-threatening manner made Caterina want to tear into her, even if it all might have been to protect her only son. These were people that no one seemed to be willing to trust so she had no reason to either.

"What time do we meet with the Malfoy lady?" Caterina asked softly, wondering how to plan her day.

"_We_ do not meet with her. Only _I_ do," Severus answered sharply.

Caterina turned to face him, "What do you mean? Minerva's going to be there and I don't see why I shouldn't as well. It would be completely safe."

"Because, to my knowledge, they do not know of you and I prefer it to stay that way for as long as possible. I will do whatever I need to do to keep you safe and protected." Severus tapped the end of her nose with a long finger.

Huffing, Caterina batted his hand away. "Severus, I'm perfectly safe here in the castle with you and everyone else. There's no way anyone could get to me. You've said that yourself several times."

"This is very different Caterina," Severus began. "She is part of a family who killed others simply for not being wizards. They can claim they've changed their beliefs all they want but I for one will never completely trust them. And I don't understand why the current Minister left them off from a trip straight to Azkaban so easily, just over the word of a teen who claimed they had a last minute change of heart. A crime is still a crime and they committed many over the years."

Caterina was beginning to feel irritated. "So what exactly do you plan on doing with me then? How long do I have to hide out from certain people? I'd like to get on with my life - our life - now and not have this constant dread hanging over us. It's not as if you can't protect me, Severus. Even I know just how powerful you are and they'd be stupid to go up against you."

"Be that as it may, that's not the point. If this is some plot to get back at me for the belief that I betrayed them all, I don't want you caught in the middle of it. You know I refuse to risk you and your safety."

"Am I just supposed to hide out in here then, every time someone remotely dangerous shows up?" Caterina asked hotly now.

"Yes. That's exactly what you're going to do. I've already arranged for Stella to stay with you and she has very explicit instructions on what to do with you, should anything happen. The room and this area of the castle have already been shielded by several extra protective spells. And once I leave, no one can gain entrance without my authorization."

"Isn't that a bit much Severus? It's one woman." Caterina frowned at him.

"No and if I'd had more time I would have thrown up a few more older and stronger spells but that's why Stella is staying with you. House-elves have their own special kind of magic."

Caterina threw up her hands, "Good Lord, Severus! Don't you think you're going a bit overboard? You're turning me into a prisoner! And what if I chose to just walk out on my own? Then what?"

He leaned close to her, sharply grabbed her chin and looked her straight in the eye, speaking very harshly and slowly emphasizing each word, "You will do no such thing! And believe _me_ there are _many_ things I can do to make sure you _cannot_ leave this room!"

Suddenly Severus watched as Caterina's beautiful blue eyes clouded over and he felt her chin tremble. She pulled back out of his grasp, batted his hand down away from her and slipped off the bed, backing away from him. He swallowed hard and utterly regretted his actions in an instant. From the fearful look on her face and in her eyes, he knew he had just scared her in a way he'd never done before and never wanted to. Severus watched her, completely unsure of what to say as she stood there, chest heaving with a defiant glare mixed with the fear shining in her eyes. He wanted to fly off the bed to her but he knew he needed to handle this situation most delicately, especially given her heightened emotional state.

Carefully he edged off the bed and approached her, speaking in his softest, rich tone, "Please Caterina, my Love, forgive me. I never meant to sound threatening toward you. Not at all. You're perhaps correct, that I am overreacting, a little." Severus gently took her shaking hands into his as she watched him, looking up through her lashes. "But humor me at least this once. Until I meet with her and get a chance to probe her mind a bit. Find out just what she might really be after. _Please_."

Caterina stared at him for several moments longer before tilting her forehead against his chest at which he almost crushed her to himself. "I'm so sorry for scaring you," he whispered tenderly. "You know I would _never_ use magic against you, Love. Never! I didn't mean for it to sound that way."

She took a deep breath and gingerly nodded her head. "I know you wouldn't Severus but I don't like the idea of being trapped in here, hiding like I'm a scared child with no say in it at all. You could at least ask me how I feel about something like this before up and deciding it all on your own."

Severus cupped her face lightly, pleading for forgiveness with his eyes. "You're right. I gave you no choice in the matter. But only this once, please, I have to know you're protected and hidden while she's here, until I know more of what is going on. And later, if you're feeling up to it, I thought maybe you'd like to go with me to Spinner's End. There no point in keeping that façade up any longer, so I might as well get it emptied out of what's important. Brock also wants us to stop by for another blood sample from you sometime in the next few days."

Caterina pursed her lips, "Is that supposed to be a bribe? Letting me leave the castle?"

"Well sort of," Severus admitted rather sheepishly.

"It's not a very good one, you know. Though I do want to go back to the cottage," mused Caterina.

Severus snapped his head down to eye her closely in his surprise over her comment. "Are you - are you having second thoughts about staying here?"

"What? Why would you think that? No, I'd just like to expand my rather limited wardrobe as well as collect a few other items that are there, if we're going to be living here much of the time now."

"Oh yes, of course you would, why didn't I think of that?"

"Because you wear nothing but black, Darling," Caterina finally snickered as he raised a brow. "But you do look handsomest in black so don't worry. Now you better get ready so you're on time."

Severus nodded in agreement but first swung Caterina up off her feet and kissed her heavily upon the mouth.

A short while later, Severus left for the headmaster's office and Stella had arrived to stay there with Caterina until his return. Caterina attempted to engage the little house-elf in conversation but Stella stood rather solemnly, taking her task quite seriously. She wondered what kind of signs the elf might be watching for and if she could sense things as far away in the castle as the headmaster's office but soon decided against asking any questions and busied herself as best she could until this confinement was over, strongly hoping it would never be necessary again.

Caterina soon realized that, while she may not feel as tired, she was feeling rather emotionally charged, much more so than after the previous dose. That would take some extra effort to control and keep in check as best she could manage. After a hot shower, she dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans and a top that matched her eyes, knowing how Severus especially loved the color on her. Caterina hoped he would be a bit more reasonable when he returned.

At first, Caterina tried to relax on the couch with a book but found she could not concentrate on it. Instead her mind was continually drudging up the hazy image from the flashback of her attacker. Although she could not remember any of his words clearly, she still had the distinct impression that he'd been ordered after her by someone else. So many different possibilities raced around her mind, each growing as unlikely and crazy as the previous, until Caterina's thoughts suddenly centered on a particular man - Porter Kingston.

King had always treated her more than amicably. But now she realized there had always been a small part, deep within, that held her back from completely trusting him. She sorted through all of what she knew of him. Jamison had been introduced to King by a business associate. The man had never given her a real, legitimate and concrete reason not to trust him but, following her attack, knowing how exhaustively thorough Jamison was, she wondered if he'd had King investigated. A strange feeling was growing and taking hold, telling her there was more to the man than she really ever knew. Grabbing a pen and notepad, Caterina began compiling a list of what she'd now thought as odd or unexplainable about King.

Whatever might have been overlooked or missed before, Caterina felt completely certain that Severus could uncover it. They would need to talk with Jamison and possibly the detective. She was also sure that Severus would want to check into King as soon as he could over the next few days and that he would get to the bottom of it all with extreme accuracy and diligence in finding the truth.

Minerva and Dumbledore both agreed with Severus in taking no chances, refusing to even allow Narcissa to arrive by the Floo Network. Instead, it was arranged for a house-elf to meet her at the main gate. The elf had been instructed to carefully, yet subtly inspect her person for anything more than her wand, such as a cursed object, poisons or an unwarranted port key.

Narcissa Malfoy arrived promptly at the appointed time and was escorted directly to the office, the house-elf quite positive she possessed nothing more dangerous than her own wand. When she entered the room, Severus noticed at once how tired, worn and almost aged she now looked from the last time he saw her only a few months before. It appeared things during the war had taken a far greater toll on her than he'd figured, but she still carried herself well with her head held high and she was fashionably dressed, as always.

"Severus! You're looking remarkably well. I trust you have completely recovered from your injuries? Oh I'm so thankful to finally have that hideous creature out of my house."

Giving a small shudder, she quickly strode forward toward the desk as Severus motioned for her to have a seat.

"Yes, I'm quite recovered."

With a quick trained eye, she surveyed the room and it was then that she noticed Minerva standing just off to the side. Seeing her caused a brief hesitant look to pass over her features but she reigned it in to a calm tolerance. The two ladies gave each other a curt, respectable nod as Minerva stepped forward but continued to stand.

"I should have figured you would not meet with me alone. And I'm too tired to fight you over it," Narcissa said, giving a pointed nod again in Minerva's direction. "Though I would ask, rather request, that what I share does not go beyond this room once I leave."

"You're not exactly in the position to demand much of anything, are you Narcissa?" stated Severus bluntly.

She flipped a bit of white-blond hair over her shoulder and only grimaced in response. Letting out a deep, exhaustive sounding sigh, she closed her dull blue eyes and sat carefully to the edge of her chair.

"I'll get straight to it then. My Lucius is dying. Somehow, someone is poisoning him."

Minerva clasped a hand to her chest and gave a tiny gasp of shock while Severus tried to rearrange his face to portray a somewhat concerned look over her plight.

"That is... regrettable. Am I correct in assuming that is why you came to me, to request my help?"

"I confess that is exactly what I am hoping for. We've had several of the top private healers in the country in to see him but they are all completely baffled as to what and how it's happening, as Draco and I are fine." She stopped to wipe a tear from her eye. "And to be honest I just don't know who to trust. I do not think it safe for him at St. Mungo's, with all that has happened, and I can only rely on the Minister for so much, especially while all the inquires are continuing. You're my best and last hope, as I know your knowledge of potions and poisons is most extensive on both sides."

"I had to be," he said dryly.

"Severus, I beg of you to help him. He is suffering greatly at times. I know I cannot ask a vow of you over it but I cannot tell you how much it would mean to us. Honestly, we still trust you, almost more now since finding out about your true allegiance," she said as her face dropped to examine her hands before going on in a much quieter voice. "I only wish more of us would have had the courage to have been so bold and brave."

Severus' face remained impassive as, again, she wiped her tears. "You can set up whatever you need to use for a lab at the Manor and stay there. I'll provide you with unlimited funds. Draco and I will help in whatever way you need us to."

"Staying there? At Malfoy Manor? That seems a little too contrived and convenient," remarked Minerva, throwing Severus a side-long glance.

"And completely out of the question, as well," he replied.

Several tears spilled over Narcissa's cheeks now and her voice became a pleading, broken whisper, "Please, please Severus! I'm begging you. "

"I will do what I can but I have a duty and a commitment that requires and ties me here ultimately. I will not stay anywhere but here."

"I understand there's a lot going on, but, honestly, term doesn't start again for almost two months."

"I was not speaking of school related issues, Narcissa. This is a personal one," Severus said carefully. "Besides it would look mighty suspicious if I was suddenly seen carrying on close interactions with the Malfoy family. I will not have my name dragged down again."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Minerva give Severus a sweet approving and understanding smile that only perplexed Narcissa as to his meaning. But she had never fully comprehended the strongly guarded and highly private man that she'd always known him to be and it was beyond her to try and figure him out now.

"I guess I understand your position. I know there will always be grudges toward us but, why would someone do this now with it all finally over? It's very disconcerting with the inquires not even over yet. Lucius is even willing to spend more time in Azkaban in exchange for mine and Draco's own freedom and safety. I know he is far from being guiltless and even if there is little left between us, I'm willing to hold my family together and see him treated fairly."

A small 'tsk' escaped Minerva as she quietly said, "And what of the fair and just treatment deserved by all those innocents that paid dearly by losing their lives over past few decades due to this war?"

Narcissa just stared at the older woman, unable to produce an adequate response to her question.

"Regardless, Severus is correct; anyone knowing that he was aiding your family, especially in a quite secret manner such as this, would not do him well at all. It's entirely his decision as to whether he helps you or not but I'm not sure what to suggest," Minerva finished.

"Someone will need to bring me blood samples on a regular basis, though it would do no good for you or Draco to be seen frequenting the castle."

"We have yet to replace our house-elf," Narcissa stated.

Severus, knowing Lucius' treatment of the creatures was far from commendable, found himself unwilling to offer the temporary use of a Hogwarts house-elf even just to act as a go-between.

Finally with a loud disgusted snort, Minerva spoke, "Alright, I'll do it, but the moment anything seems remotely questionable, I'll be visiting the Minister myself."

Severus looked just as surprised as Narcissa did herself. Once the more precise details of the arrangements were worked out, Narcissa stood, repeatedly thanking them both but quite anxious to leave and return to the ailing Lucius. Severus caught her eyes wandering around the room once again and took that unguarded moment to cast a rather forceful Legilimens spell at her. She turned sharply to face him but was unable to react, other than by standing there and allowing him to finish probing her mind. Once satisfied with the flashes of images that corroborated her tale, he released her mind.

"You could have just asked," she snarled disdainfully.

"And you would have been prepared and might have blocked things you did not want me to see," he shot back, though truthfully he knew she was not skilled enough to keep him out.

"Well I hope you're satisfied with what you found."

Severus smirked at her. "For now, I am."

After Narcissa Malfoy departed, Minerva stood with a puzzled look, staring at Severus. "Do you really honestly believe her and this… story? Can the Malfoys really be trusted?"

Thinking through what her mind had shown him, he paused a moment before answering, "There is no question of it. She, at least, is completely convinced of what she says."

"However?" probed Minerva.

"However, I know Lucius. Faking something such as this in order to gain any possible and extra sympathy is not beyond him. And it just well may be likely that someone whom he wronged is enacting on their own bit of revenge finally."

"And you're going to help, either way, aren't you? What if he deserves this revenge?" Minerva asked with a grim expression.

"Frankly, I _know _that he deserves it. I'm just intrigued enough to help discover who is doing it if he's not pulling off some elaborate charade. If you noticed, I never agreed in any way to give her whatever information I should uncover.

Minerva just smirked and shook her head, "Well, it did prove to be a most interesting and entertaining visit. Thank heavens, for I was just beginning to find things slipping back into a bit of a dull roar around here again."

"We certainly wouldn't want that now, would we?' commented Dumbledore, giving his usual mysterious wink.

Severus excused himself to return to Caterina, leaving the former headmaster to dissect Narcissa' revelation with Minerva. With a quick flourish of his wand, he removed several of the stronger concealing and protective spells over their room. Entering in silence, he found Caterina sitting with her back toward him and writing out what appeared to be a list of sorts. Severus smiled approvingly at the sight of her in those favorite jeans he so enjoyed, paired with a soft flowing turquoise top that was sleeveless and snuggly fitted around her chest. Eagerly, he traced a long finger along her bare shoulder, distracting her from her writing and causing her to jump in alarm as she turned sharply in her seat to find him. Severus welcomed the sight of her sweet grin and the inviting lowness of her top but retained enough clarity of thought to thank and dismiss Stella before attacking Caterina's smooth skin with his lips. Caterina allowed him several moments' pleasure before pushing him away to inquire over what had transpired in his meeting.

"What?" he asked, shocked over her action.

"Well, aren't you going to tell me what happened and whether it was actually worthwhile to keep me hidden away?"

Severus turned with a sigh and sat on the couch. Caterina followed after to join him, easing down beside him with her knees tucked under her. She listened thoughtfully as Severus proceeded to explain all that had transpired during the meeting and gave her his thoughts concerning the whole situation.

"So for now you plan on helping them? But really only under the guise of trying find out if they might know who came after me?" Caterina guessed when he finished.

Severus nodded. "That is my plan."

"And if it turns out to be someone acting on revenge, what do you plan on doing then? Will you intervene?"

"That will depend strongly on the who and the why." He arched an eyebrow. "He is far from being sinless."

Severus continually brushed her soft shoulder with his fingers. "And while my protective actions may have been well above what was considered necessary, you are safe."

Caterina couldn't resist rolling her eyes at him and gave a tiny snort, "She wasn't no threat at all, was she?"

Severus just stared at her, unblinking and fixed.

"That's what I figured," Caterina muttered quietly but she leaned forward to kiss his cheek gratefully. "But thank you for keeping me safe."

"Always."

A short while later found them standing in the dimly lit and dreary living room on Spinner's End. Not having properly acquainted Caterina with the feeling of apparating, they arrived via the Floo connection in Severus' old office. Several candles lit themselves upon their arrival and after Severus vanished any signs of soot and ash from them both, he asked Caterina to stand still for a few minutes as he checked over the many different spells and wards that protected the house.

"Good. Everything is as it should be and just as I last left it."

Caterina watched quietly as he began casting out a few wordless spells. Books began to zoom around in the air and reorder themselves upon the multitude of shelves. Others flew neatly off the shelves and ordered themselves in stacks on the floor.

"Wait here," Severus told her as he disappeared down the hall.

She gracefully took a seat on the small couch that Severus and she had shared together while having tea with Dumbledore that one afternoon. It now seemed so long ago. Caterina grinned broadly over the memory of how very different Severus had been toward her at that time. She wondered if she could have ever believed then that someday she and Severus would fall in love. Back at that time, it had seemed almost impossible to think he would ever even just like her as a friend. Now Caterina couldn't imagine being any happier than she was in being with Severus.

Hearing a loud bang, followed by a low oath from Severus, she wondered what he was possibly up to but she knew better than to go searching him out. Presently, he returned to the room carrying a very tattered looking shoebox. Joining Caterina on the couch, he carefully sat the box on her lap.

"I believe you will find some interesting items in here to keep you occupied for a little while. There are a few things I need to secure upstairs."

Caterina delicately lifted the worn box top and laid it on the coffee table. Inside she discovered it full of old photos and assorted papers from when Severus was a child. Some of the photos were normal while others were obviously magical with moving people in them. Quickly she became delightfully lost in what the box contained. Severus was not very fond of many of the photos, along with many of the memories tied to them, but he found that he did not mind sharing them with her. He watched her fondly for a few minutes before venturing upstairs in search of the ultimate reason for their visit.

Severus knew his mother never would have parted with it. It was far too important to her and valuable as it may be. She would have outright lied about still owning it to her husband, if he'd ever have questioned her over it. Nothing could have forced her to sell it like he'd asked of her so many times, no matter how tight money was or how awful things became. He also knew that, while his mother may not have been the most talented of witches at performing advanced magic, she definitely would have taken every precaution in hiding it and keeping it secret. Severus did not expect to take long in discovering its hidden location.

Taking a minute to consider and speculate on all the possibilities, Severus cast the strongest revealing and summoning charms that he knew. There came a loud, hollow clunking sound, followed by a long shredding and ripping noise. He stepped into the tiny room where the sounds emanated from, his dark eyes darting all around until he spotted a dirty picture frame on the wall that had turned itself sideways. The picture within the frame was one of him as a small child, standing with his Mother and Grandmother Prince. And the now exposed wall that had been under it showed a growing crack as the faded wallpaper ripped and split apart. There came one more clunk with a resounding thud and a small hole grew, out of which flew a small shiny, silvery object. Severus held up a hand, capturing it in his fist.

It momentarily felt cold until the warmth of his clenched fist saturated it. Slowly, he opened his hand, letting out a relieved sigh that he had found it. He had only ever seen it once as a child and now realized it was actually much nicer and larger than he remembered. A very satisfied smile spread across Severus' face. The Prince family ring would indeed be perfect after all. _Completely_ and _absolutely _perfect.

* * *

A/N: So should they take Narcissa at her word? And now Caterina's thinking that King might get dragged back into the picture - yikes! But more excitedly, any guesses as to what he'll do with that sweet find from Spinner's End? :D Thoughts and speculations on it all? *giggles* Thanks for reading. ;)


	47. When Stars Collide

**Chapter 47**

**When Stars Collide**

Caterina refused the leave the tattered shoebox of assorted memories behind when it was time to leave Spinner's End a little while later.

"Severus, Darling, I'm not going to show them off to anyone. I want them for us."

"I know you won't, it's just…."

"It's me Severus, the woman you love. I just want them to have for safekeeping. It's important to preserve parts of the past for one day possibly in the future."

Finally, at that, he saw her point and kissed her lips. "Yes, you _are _most definitely the woman I love. The one and only. Hand me the box."

She carefully replaced the lid and held it out for him. Severus tapped it with his wand to reinforce its decrepit state and then tapped it once more to greatly shrink its size for traveling. He had reordered many belongings in the house into different stacks and piles and planned to dispatch several house-elves from Hogwarts to assist him in bringing some of it to Hogwarts and disposing of the rest.

Once they returned to the castle, though Caterina felt extremely tired, she wanted to discuss her latest thoughts over King. Severus listened intently to her theory about him and appeared somewhat shocked at himself for not having thought of it already as a possibility. When she suggested that they meet up with Jamison to see what he might have found out, Severus surprised her by asking which she preferred to tackle tomorrow: visiting the cottage or seeing Jamison. She felt sure he would want to first pursue anything that might lead them a step closer to her attacker.

"Well it's not too late to see if Jamison could just meet us at the cottage. That way we can get both accomplished in one day," she said wisely.

"That would be most helpful and convenient but are you sure it won't be too much for you?" Severus asked concerned of Caterina pushing herself to much.

"No, I'll be fine, I'm sure of it." Caterina winked at him.

Seeing how tired she was from just their short venture out earlier that day, Severus had dinner brought to their room. After they had eaten, Caterina snuggled into his lap on the couch while he went through a pile of school related paperwork regarding some of the new educational laws that the Ministry was putting into place. He felt quite pleased to see they had taken his advice, along with several of the other professors, in implanting stricter standards and were working to develop a core teaching curriculum that was balanced in all the properly important magical learning areas.

The next morning dawned with the small dilemma of how best to travel to the cottage. Flooing had worked well in taking Caterina to Spinner's End but the cottage was not part of the network. At least not yet. Severus would see to connecting it to the Floo Network as soon as possible. He would not subject Caterina to traveling that distance on a broom; besides, it would take much longer than he wanted. That left apparating as the best option.

Caterina understood what it was but he'd still never tried it with her. The first few times of side-along apparition were rather disconcerting for a person and took a few attempts to get used to the sensation. Severus decided to explain it all as best he could during breakfast and allow her to choose which way she wanted to travel. He did not want her any more tired and weary than she already was from the potion.

"How long would the effects of apparating last on me?"

Severus considered her question for a moment. "It depends. Generally only a few minutes at most and probably no more than half an hour for your first time."

"Let's do that then. I have been rather curious to try it ever since you first explained it to me."

Soon they were standing out on the balcony. Severus thought for a moment and then pulled Caterina to stand directly in front of him and facing him. He wrapped his arms securely around her and pulled her completely against himself.

"We're going straight from here? I though you said- "

With a sweet tap on her nose, he smirked, "Headmaster's prerogative. Now close your eyes and just rest your head on my chest. Relax, try not to move and it'll be over before you know it."

"I can do that," she said happily, leaning into him, squeezing her arms around him and deeply inhaling his scent.

Severus felt her relax completely and he was once again amazed at the implicit trust and faith she always showed in him. He leaned forward to kiss the top of her curly head and they were gone.

Moments later they appeared on the sidewalk just outside the cottage. Severus continued to hold her snug and secure until he was sure she had her bearing back. Caterina gave a tiny moan as her whole body shuddered slightly. He watched her carefully until, finally, she opened her eyes.

"How do you feel?"

Caterina grinned sheepishly. "Bit dizzy."

"Do you want to lie down?"

"Maybe." She closed her eyes again and swallowed. "That certainly was… interesting. Felt like my stomach dropped out, the way it does when you go over an odd bump in the road or down a steep drop on a roller coaster."

"Bump in the road?" Severus repeated, confused momentarily. "Oh, you mean in a car?"

She nodded.

"Driving has always intrigued me."

Caterina lightly snorted. "I suppose you don't know how, do you?"

"Not properly, without magic," Severus confessed.

She giggled. "Guess that's something _I'll_ have to teach you someday."

Caterina gave a groan as her head wobbled slightly when he turned her slowly to face the front door.

"I think I might actually enjoy that," he mused.

Quickly Severus temporarily lifted many of the wards he'd placed over the cottage several months back when he'd been searching for her. Then he gently lifted Caterina into his arms and carried her inside. His heart felt most joyful to be entering it this time with her and not alone. After placing her on the couch to rest, he set about airing out the place. With several waves of his wand the windows slid open to freshen the air and the buildup of dust vanished. Severus looked around for a few minutes. It oddly felt like coming home, he realized, in a comforting way he'd never experienced anywhere else. In the couple months they had spent there, they had created many wonderful and peaceful memories together that were now forever tied to the quaint stone cottage.

Hearing Caterina softly sigh, he turned around to find her sitting up. Her face held the same feeling of contentment and happiness at being back in the cottage as he felt. In a few long strides he joined her on the couch and greedily pulled her onto himself.

"Mmmm… it feels really wonderful to be back here, with you. Not that Hogwarts isn't fabulous in its own right but being here with just you… it's special."

Severus brought his forehead to rest on hers and closed his eyes, whispering into her ear. "I was just thinking the same, my Love. We first made love here and… that was extraordinarily special."

Caterina touched his cheek at that thought, letting out an utterly serene-sounding sigh.

"Maybe we could come here for weekends once school starts and everything is settled into place," suggested Severus. "Would you like that?"

"Oh Severus! That would be perfect. Absolutely perfect."

Turning in his lap, Caterina slipped her arms up around his neck as he leaned in to give her a long, passionate kiss. Eagerly his hands started to roam over her sweet curves as she moaned into his kiss. After several minutes, Caterina pulled back, chuckling into his neck, and began kissing along his jaw line while running her fingers all through his hair.

"Is that your wand poking me?" she asked him with an elegantly arched brow.

Severus snickered, reached into his pocket and drew out his wand. "For the record, I can assure you, my Dearest, I have never poked you with _this_ wand."

"Ahh… good to know," she laughed and met his lips once more as Severus tilted her back onto the couch seat.

"Someone certainly seems to be feeling better now after their first time apparating."

Caterina grinned broadly at him. "Yes, well, a little tender loving care does wonders, you know."

"Then I shall certainly endeavor to apply more," Severus breathed rather lustfully into her neck as he worked his way down her soft skin to her chest.

It was very hard to convince him to stop, especially because she didn't want him to. She was so blissfully lost in his kisses, just as she always was, from the very first one they had ever shared. But with a glance at the clock she realized Jamison would be arriving within the hour. Severus gave a rather harsh snarl when she mentioned that fact. Painstakingly his lips made their way over every inch of her skin, going back up to her neck and, with great reluctance, he pulled her back up to sit in his lap. Their eyes met and burned into each other's as if they were bearing their entire souls to each other and it was a perfect moment in time.

"I love you so much, Severus. I can't imagine life without you." Caterina whispered, reaching out and grasping his face with both of her small soft hands.

He stared at her vivid blue eyes. They had become misty with tears but not for sadness and he knew exactly how she felt.

Severus took her hand in his and gently kissed each of her fingers. "Caterina, my Love?"

"Hmm?"

But he never got to ask what he wanted as a loud musical note ensued throughout the cottage, announcing Jamison's arrival. And it was quite awhile until they actually got to the most important topic of the visit because Caterina and Jamison spent time catching up with each other. Other than the simple fact that she looked somewhat tired, he was overjoyed at how much better Caterina looked from the last time he'd seen her in the hospital.

Most of all, Jamison was pleased at how happy she and Severus still were with each other. They acted more in love than he'd ever remembered seeing them. A love like theirs certainly may have taken a long time to build, but because of that, it was not about to be broken or hurt by what the past year had brought them through and, for that, he felt extremely thankful.

Severus listened patiently and even interjected an occasional comment as they talked. He knew she was excited to see Jamison and he would not rush her through any of their time together. Caterina answered Jamison's questions regarding Hogwarts quite splendidly and Severus wondered if she'd been thinking some of it through ahead of time in anticipation of his questions. They were, of course, planning to tell Jamison the whole truth but just not quite yet.

Eventually Jamison pulled out a folder and handed it to Severus. "I believe that's every possible item of interest and consequence that I've been able to turn up on Porter Kingston. And it's not much at all. Either the man has something to hide or he's ridiculously private, much like you, Severus. And knowing you somewhat better now, I understand why you were always that way, but this honestly scares me to think of why he acts as such."

Severus flipped through the pages. There weren't many and most did not contain much.

"I figured you would check everywhere you could with your, ah, many government connections, but I still went ahead and had a buddy who owed me a favor run his name through INTERPOL anyway. Nothing there either. No one with that particular name fits his description, anywhere. It's almost as if he doesn't exist other than when he worked at those couple of jobs. I scouted around to each place he worked to pick a few people's brains but not much luck," Jamison said, shrugging his shoulders. "Most all agreed that he was friendly and outgoing, smiled a lot and liked to keep busy at all times. The places that still had housing addresses listed for him all turned out to be shabby and rundown, though, when he was making rather decent money. One was even an abandoned warehouse, and another didn't exist as far as I could tell. The last job listed for him, he actually quit several months before we ran into him that last time, Cat. And I did leave word at each place for them to discreetly contact me if he should show up again. One place is still holding his last paycheck."

They all discussed the matter a little while longer before moving again back to lighter topics before Jamison left. They walked him to the door and Caterina hugged him fiercely. Severus couldn't help but think back to a time that he would have been incredibly jealous over such a gesture. He was only too happy with how things had turned out between him and Caterina and knew that she had only ever looked at Jamison as a father-figure in her life.

Jamison heartily shook Severus' hand and stepped out onto the porch. "Oh Cat! I almost forgot. You've gotta decide something about that cat. I can only take it for so much longer."

Caterina clapped her hands over her mouth and exclaimed, "Widget! How did I forget about her? I'm so sorry Jamison." She gave Severus a side-long glance, unsure about bringing her to Hogwarts though.

"I actually think she'd enjoy Hogwarts so that shouldn't be a problem," Severus told him before he left.

Severus shut the door as Caterina tenderly placed her hands against his solid chest. "Do you really think Hogwarts is the best place for her?"

Severus grinned slyly, leading her into the living room and back to the couch. He pulled her down onto his lap and proceeded to tell her what exactly the cat was and how that particular cat had been one animal to manage earning a bit of respect from him.

After Caterina had selected some clothing and other items she wanted to take back to the castle, Severus packed it all up with a flick of his wand. She looked around their bedroom, half unwilling to leave it now that they had visited. Letting out a low gasp, she walked forward and gently lifted up the white shimmery rose from the nightstand. It still looked as fresh and gorgeous as ever. Inhaling softly, she kissed its petals and carefully laid it back down.

"Don't you want to take it back?" Severus asked.

"No. I have the other two at the castle. This one belongs here."

"And I promise we'll come back here soon."

Severus smiled and held out his hand to her. She walked over and took it. Then after Severus replaced the wards around the cottage, he enfolded her within his arms and apparated them back to Hogwarts.

* * *

The next few days Severus continued to ponder all that he'd learned about this man. And Severus did not like what it all pointed at, the more he thought about things. King had actually shown up in Caterina's life by request. He'd wanted to meet her and it was conveniently well after Severus and Caterina had gotten reacquainted. In fact, King's appearance was timed almost perfectly to after Severus had left Caterina, stating that they could no longer be friends. Severus also knew that, off and on during the last year, he'd been followed. But what if it had all started a long time before then? What if whoever it was had only gotten lazy in their actions near the end for him to catch on? That didn't make much sense to him either, as he was always guarded about his movements and often checked at frequent and random intervals for signs of someone tracing or tailing him over the years. None of it sat well with him.

He hadn't shared many of his thoughts with Caterina but by things she asked him and comments she made from time to time, he knew she had worked out pretty much everything the way he had. She resumed practicing her stretching and ballet exercises to help strengthen her muscles again each day. Severus watched her with extreme delight but at times he could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she thought about all the evidence they had. Finally, one evening after dinner, she scooted happily into his lap and asked him what his plan was.

"Plan?" he asked with his black eyes gleaming down at her.

"Severus! You know you can't fool me, I know you've been brewing something in that brilliant and handsome mind of yours. I'm just wondering what it is."

Severus was quite amused with her. "I do have a plan but I'm not sure as to how soon I can put it into action because it would require a visit to Lucius."

Caterina appeared visibly shaken at that thought. "It's one thing for one of them to come here but I don't like the idea of you going there."

"I don't either, and that's why I'm trying to weigh all my options with that as a last resort only."

"In what way do you think he could help?" she asked quietly.

"While I knew most all of the Death Eaters and heavy supporters, there remained a few who, through the years, managed to keep themselves almost completely shielded and hidden to all but him. Lucius had a knack for weaseling out the truth and nature of even the most guarded wizards who secretly aligned their beliefs to Voldemort. Calling upon them for heavy favors at times or using his information on them as bribes to do his own bidding, so he himself did not have to soil his hands, was a favorite past time of his."

"So you think he might be able to tell you who exactly King could really be?"

"Yes but the tricky part is that Lucius didn't keep records. Instead he kept a very long memory. In his weakened state it would be quite simple to invade his mind, though rather confusing if his supposed illness is genuine. Minerva collected a blood sample from him today so we'll see if anything turns up there first."

"Do you think anything will?"

Severus let out a deep breath. "I have my doubts as well as my suspicions."

Minerva had made the trip to Malfoy Manor and back, undetected and quite full of observations that she passed onto Severus. He immediately set to work dividing out the sample and running all through a rigorous set of tests and spells to see if any foul play could be found. Severus stayed very busy for the next two days working on it all. He wanted to be done with them by Friday morning. Thursday evening saw him coming to bed quite later than Caterina. She rolled over and responded to his caress with a gorgeous, sleepy smile for him, giving a soft moan as his hands drifted up under her silk nightie, tracing lingering sweet trails all across her skin.

After breakfast the next morning, Severus kissed her and promised he would return as soon as the last few results were finished. Caterina noticed a certain gleam in his eye and wondered what he was up to or if he thought he was close to discovering something through the tests. She busied herself, though, with pushing a bit of the furniture out of the way and got to work on stretching. When she finally had pushed herself to the limit, she stopped and went to take a long hot shower. Caterina was standing in the closet, undecided over what to wear, when she felt his warm hands slide around her waist and his hot breath tickling against her neck as he nuzzled into her hair.

Severus inhaled deeply, taking in her sweet, light floral scent. "Might I make a request?"

"Of course you may, Darling."

He reached up with one hand and selected a little black lacy dress, hanging just off to the side. Caterina smiled, remembering it. She had worn it the evening Severus had given her back the locket.

"I'd like to take you someplace special tonight," Severus explained. "That is if you think you're feeling more comfortable with apparating."

They had practiced several times over the week and each time it bothered Caterina less. And the last two times she'd hardly felt dizzy at all.

She turned to face him with an excited grin. "Definitely."

"I have a few errands to run before we go. Will you be ok by yourself?" Severus asked, studying her face with care.

Caterina tilted her head in surprise. "Meaning, you're leaving the castle?"

Severus nodded.

Patting his hand, she smiled. "I'll be fine, Darling. I was thinking of going to see Minerva for a little while."

Severus promised to not be long as it made him anxious being out of the castle and away from her. He knew she was completely safe but after being apart for almost a year, he vowed to never be far or long from her side again for anything. So he set about to completing his business as quickly as he could. Caterina and Minerva enjoyed a lovely time chatting together and sharing tea. Then by the time she'd returned to their room to ready herself, she was just putting on the finishing touches to her makeup when Severus came back.

Caterina stepped out of the bathroom and Severus' jaw dropped slightly at the sight of her. He didn't understand how it could be possible for her to look even more stunning in that dress than she had before but somehow she'd managed it. Gracefully she turned on the spot, allowing him to appreciate her from every side. All he could manage was a shake of his head as the words died in his throat.

Gently he gripped her bare shoulders with his long fingers and slid them down her smooth arms as she gazed up at him. "You are so… so utterly beautiful. Though that's not even a good enough word to describe you."

Caterina blushed lightly and he leaned down to softly kiss her lips. Then he brought a hand up and delicately traced the chain from her neck down to where the locket lay against her chest. Suddenly he realized something was different. How she smelled - it was hypnotic and tantalizing all at once. He'd missed it but it was back now, the sweet alluring scent of his favorite Poison. She'd obviously retrieved the perfume when they'd visited the cottage. Now, if only he could clear the sensuous fog that was threatening to take over him, otherwise they'd never get to his plans for the evening.

"Are you ready, Love?" he asked her.

"Let me just get my shawl. Oh, and shoes," she giggled.

Severus admired the bounce that came with her hurrying to grab the items. She slipped her feet into a pair of toeless black heels and picked up a lacy black shawl.

Then she came to stand in front of him again, smiling serenely up into his black eyes. "I'm ready now."

He pulled her close to him and spoke softly into her ear, "I love you, Caterina."

Caterina sighed contentedly, "And I love you, Severus."

Caterina felt most intrigued but she knew better than to ask where their destination would be. From the mysterious glint that Severus carried in his eye all day, he wasn't going to give up his secret. He led her out to the balcony and she rested her head against his chest as he pulled her to himself. After a long moment of weightlessness, she felt the ground beneath her feet again.

"Are you feeling alright?"

Caterina paused a moment to assess how she felt. "Only a smidge dizzy, but I'll be fine in no time."

Severus held her tight and waited a few minutes before allowing her to slowly pull away from him and look around. "Do you know where we are?"

Caterina's smile widened instantly as she recognized the beautiful white flowering arbor of the quaint little French restaurant they had dined at just before he'd given her the locket. It was situated next to the river, offering a wonderful view of the soon to be setting sun. This time the arbor held hundreds of twinkling lights that added to the sweet, romantic atmosphere.

"Oh Severus!" she exclaimed in shock. "You remembered this place?"

"How could I not? It's one of the places I fondly remembering being in the presence of an angel."

She blushed once more and reached up on her toes to kiss his lips. They were soon seated outside under the arbor and, though it was rather busy, no one was seated too near them. Caterina strongly suspected that Severus had warded the area and she was more than happy to have it that way.

Severus again found himself completely preoccupied with the beautiful creature setting next to him. And as he reflected back to their previous visit, he never would have believed it if anyone had told him that night she would one day be his. But they were happily together and he could not ask for anything more than simply having her as part of his life. They took their time, enjoying a wonderful and leisurely dinner as the sun dipped lower in the sky and the tiny lights twinkled all around, as they swayed in the gentle breeze coming off the river. It was the perfect night.

"Are we going for a walk along the river now?" Caterina asked as they left the restaurant, wondering if Severus' intention was to recreate that night all over again.

"No we're not. There's someplace else I'd like to take you," he answered mysteriously.

Taking her hand, he led her over to the secluded area beside the restaurant where they'd first arrived. Severus turned her to face away from him but pulled her flush to his body.

"I have a small surprise," he whispered in that rich, silky voice that sent shivers of pleasure up and down her spine. "Now close your eyes please and promise me you won't open them until I tell you to."

Caterina nodded and the next thing she knew, they had apparated to a new, unknown place. She held her eyes tightly closed and attempted to use her other senses to give her a hint as to where they might be. The first thing she noticed was the air. It smelled of soft, floral and fragrant hues, mixed in with many light natural scents that came from being outdoors. There were very few sounds: a chirping bird, the gentle rustle of leaves and the quiet hum of trickling water. The ground beneath her feet felt as though it gave just a bit to her low heels. Caterina guessed they had to be somewhere away from and cities and towns, and possibly in a wood.

Severus' hands slid around her waist as she felt his breath, warm in her ear. "You may open your eyes now, my Love."

A wondrous sight greeted her shining azure eyes as she looked all around, taking it in. They appeared to be in a secluded garden, hidden deep within a leafy green forest. The last bits of sunlit beams strayed through the obliging opening between the towering leaves and branches, casting an ethereal look across the area they stood in. Just a few feet before them ran a gentle, flowing stream that bubbled over smooth rocks and formed shallow pools in places. Along either side of the stream, growing in grassy patches, were glorious bunches of assorted wildflowers, in full bloom and of every color and size. There were several larger flowering bushes and to Caterina's delight, she saw a gorgeous rose bush of the deepest crimson, full of marvelous blooms and buds just waiting to burst open.

But what drew her eye more than anything was the utterly enchanted and shimmery glow that seemed to spring off of the entire setting as the last of the fading sun twinkled down upon it all. Caterina gasped, feeling so peaceful and happy to be in such a serene place. She stepped forward, wanting to see everything, most unwilling to miss any part of the beautiful garden.

"Do you recognize this place?" Severus asked her.

Turning all around, she glanced up at him. "I'm - I'm not sure. Should I?"

"It's a place we've been to before. _Together_. And, for me, it stands out in my mind as being a place that aided in bridging our past, our present and our future."

Caterina gracefully turned to smile up at him, her face holding a happy, yet slightly confused look. Her mind was whirling, trying to place ever having been in such a divine setting with Severus.

His rich baritone whispered into her ear, causing shivers of pleasure to roll down her spine. "Look again, my Love."

Caterina's eyes swept over the whole area, carefully taking in the lay of the land and suddenly noting several familiar spots. Opening her mouth wide in delighted shock, she turned back to Severus and grabbed his arms, feeling almost shaky and overwhelmed at where he had brought them. She knew the place well but it had never had such magnificent beauty upon it, as it showed now. That had been done entirely by Severus. _For her_.

"It's the park!"

He simply nodded and reached out to cup her face in his hands, drawing her close. "Yes, it's the park. The place where I could have lost you, long before you were ever mine to have, due to the foolish, insane actions of a very stupid boy. And the place where I came in an attempt to seek your friendship once again after my asinine choice to have thrown it away. But most importantly to me, it's the place that holds a memory I will cherish and treasure for the rest of my life. This is where we shared our first real kiss and admitted our love. It was the beginning of our future together."

A tiny tear fell from Caterina's eye which Severus softly kissed away before she threw her arms tightly around him, crushing herself to him.

She laughed and beamed up at him. "You are completely amazing, Severus, to have done this all just for me."

Tracing his fingertips along her collarbone, he grinned. "Caterina, my sweet Love, you should know by now that I would do _anything_ for you and you _alone_."

Severus wiped another sweet tear from her cheek and captured her plump lips with his own, quickly leading into a fiery and dizzying kiss. Her hands found themselves wrapped in his raven locks, gently pulling him closer and urging him deeper as his hands tenderly roamed up and down her back, keeping her firmly pressed to him. Her mouth still tasted like the sweetest thing to ever cross his lips. And her heart beat wildly for the man she so deeply loved. When they finally slowed and broke apart to gaze at each other, Caterina reached up and ran her fingers gently over his lips. They stood holding each other close while their breathing returned and their hearts claimed their normal pace once more.

"Come," Severus said gently, guiding her toward the crimson rose bush.

All of the blooms and buds shimmered radiantly, casting off tiny sparkles of diamond-like light.

"Pick one, any one," Severus gently commanded her.

Caterina lovingly ran her finger over many of the soft, velvet petals before finally selecting a large bud. It looked ready to bloom at any moment and as her fingers closed around the stem, it came off the bush and into her hand. She giggled and brought the bud up to her nose to breathe in its luscious scent as she closed her eyes for a moment. Then she touched the tip of the bud to her lips and lightly kissed it.

And at the touch of her lips the crimson bud sprang open wide. Caterina stared at it in wonder, thinking it was easily the most perfectly formed rose she'd ever seen, until she noticed something very unusual about its center. There cradled in the midst of the petals, was something so fabulous, so gorgeous, it couldn't possibly be real.

Her radiant blue eyes flicked up to Severus', searching for an answer. He only reached out and plucked out the shiny middle, carefully offering it to Caterina.

"Caterina Clarkstone, will you complete my life and marry me?"

She swallowed hard as the tears returned. Her voice was lost and all she could do was nod her head vigorously. Lifting up her trembling left hand, she held it out, letting Severus slip the breathtaking ring onto her finger. Caterina just stared at the silver ring for a long moment, the tears still falling.

"Yes! Yes, Severus Snape, I will marry you," she whispered up at him, overwhelmed with a joyous delirium. "You really didn't expect any other answer to that question, though, did you?"

He lifted her hand and kissed it. "No I didn't."

She pulled her hand back to better admire the jewel that now adorned her finger. It was rather large but not at all gaudy or weighty. The stone was a princess-cut ruby of deep, blood-red coloring, set into a delicately woven design of intricate and detailed silver filigree with a lovely carved pattern that completely circled the band.

"Ohhh Severus, where did you ever find something so perfect?" Caterina asked, simply enthralled and in awe of its classic, old-fashioned elegance.

"It belonged to my grandmother and has been in the Prince family for several generations. And now it's yours, if you like it."

Caterina laughed. "Like it? How could I not? It's the most beautiful ring I've ever laid eyes on and I don't plan on ever taking it off. I love it."

Severus smiled with a slight sigh of relief, enormously pleased that she loved it. He kissed her forehead and then ever so softly on the lips, holding her face as if he were afraid she'd disappear if he were anything but absolutely gentle.

Inhaling deeply, Severus touched his face to hers. "I have to tell you Caterina, I never thought my life could hold this - what we have together."

She made to quiet him with her fingers to his lips but he carefully captured them and held them still.

"Hear me out, Love. That day you showed up, it changed the entire course of my life from that moment on. You were not someone I wanted because I'd never dared to dream for someone like you. I never believed the world could hold someone even half as amazingly loving and as wondrously tolerant and understanding as you have been to me. I honestly believe that if we had not ever met, that I would not have lived to see the end of the Wizarding war."

"Severus-"

He held a firm finger to her lips. "You are the star that collided with my life and knocked me into a new place, the place I was meant to be in, for you. You're all I've ever needed, without me ever knowing it was you that I wanted."

"Severus, you may not believe it, but you had the exact same effect on my life. Who knows where I'd be now if it were not for you?" Caterina smiled with happy tears gleaming on her lashes. "I know I would not be anywhere near this happy in life, as I am with you. And I've known for a long time that you are the one and only man for me. The man I love with all of my heart. The man I want to spend each and every tomorrow with."

Caterina's eyes glistened with complete joy as he lifted her into his arms and kissed her. When they parted to catch their breath, she couldn't help but peek at her hand again to admire her new ring.

Then she looked around in the fading light, trying to capture a few more glimpses of their extraordinary surroundings. "How and when did you do all this, Severus?"

"Today."

She laughed. "Your _errands?"_

"Mostly. Would you like to stay awhile longer?" he smiled, already sure of her answer.

"Absolutely."

The next thing Caterina knew, Severus was sitting her upon a thick, plush blanket near the stream and nestled amongst all the beautiful wildflowers. He sat beside her and with a flourish of his wand, there suddenly appeared many tiny twinkling fairy lights that fluttered and hovered around the flowers, giving off a soft, candle-like glow to replace the sun in its absence. She watched them, thinking they looked just like tiny stars, twinkling in the dark night sky.

Severus laid back and pulled Caterina atop of him as he suggestively whispered into her ear. "I heavily warded the entire area so that no one can come close to stumbling through here, disturbing us."

"Mmmm… I like the sound of that," Caterina sighed delightedly.

"I thought you just might, my Love."

Severus' warm hands caressed their way around her bare neck and shoulders along with his fabulous kisses. Caterina let out a tranquil moan as his capable hands easily found the zipper to her dress and the rest of the night saw only stars colliding in a most fiery and passionate display of pure, blissful love.

* * *

A/N: Ahhhh... fluffy stuff again... happy sigh! Finally engaged! I truly hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. :) For reference, it was chapter 21 that they dined at the little restaurant and when he gave her the locket. Thanks for the continued support and encouragement on A Place for My Heart!

_The One_ by Elton John = the perfect song for this chapter! ;)


	48. Unexpected Information

**Chapter 48**

**Unexpected Information**

He stood watching a young woman sitting on a blanket under a large spreading tree near the Black Lake for several minutes. She lay, lounging on her stomach with her knees and legs bent up in the air behind her, a book in front of her. It was a normal sight to see, for sure, if school were in session. But it was not. His intention had been to go directly to the headmaster's office to seek a meeting with him. Now, for some reason, his curiosity was piqued over this new unknown. Glancing up at Hogwarts' front doors, he hesitated and changed his mind. It would only take a few minutes of time. Withdrawing his wand, he quickly performed a silencing charm on himself, wanting to get as close as possible to further observe her before she noticed him. An idea was growing in his head just as to who she might be.

When finally within a few yards of her, he could clearly make out her face. Surely he was mistaken. There was no way she could be who he thought she was, could she? There was no way, she was far too beautiful. It simply couldn't be. Strangely, the woman was dressed like a muggle, wearing jeans and a scoop necked peach shirt. So maybe she was. He slowed his pace to longer admire her gorgeous face, the long dark curls that flowed down her back and her sweet curvy figure, until the woman startled suddenly and sat up, looking directly at him with a wary expression. Her hand slowly snaked up to grasp hold of a golden locket hanging around her neck. He pulled his face into a charming smile and said hello with all the finesse in him. Closing her book and nodding with a slight smile, the woman answered him with a quiet, cautious-sounding hello. As her vivid blue eyes quickly darted from side to side, he stepped forward and leaned casually against the tree.

"I suspect you must be one of the new teachers?" he asked easily while still staring openly. "I must say you shouldn't have any trouble getting the kids to listen in your class, least not the boys, anyways. Makes me almost wish I wasn't finished with this place. Am I correct in guessing Muggle Studies?"

She looked as though she were about to stand so he offered forth a well-groomed hand to assist her but they both froze as there came a tremendous scream from nearby.

"Don't you dare touch her! Get away from him!" hollered Hagrid, who was running toward them, his make-shift wand drawn and aimed in the newcomer's direction.

Glancing at the woman, he watched her scoot back away from him, fear evident in her eyes now as she got up to her feet in a hurry. Hagrid halted just before him and motioned for the woman to stand behind him. But just as she took a step toward the giant man, another figure dropped out of the air and grabbed her back. A shrill scream started from her throat but died as soon as she looked up at her captor, Severus Snape. The newcomer seemed unfazed by the wands pointed at him and watched on in extreme surprise as the woman huddled back into Severus' chest. She no longer appeared frightened but eyed him intently now instead.

"I must say you've got that flying down quite well, Snape."

"Indeed I have, and it has served me rather nicely on several occasions," he sneered through gritted teeth. "Now explain why you are here, Draco Malfoy."

"I came to see you, ahh, sir," Draco hastily added, realizing he needed to be much more careful than he'd originally thought.

Wand still trained on Draco, Severus glanced down at the woman in his arms. "Hagrid will see you safely back to the castle. I'll come as soon as I can."

She looked reluctant to leave him but Severus' tone was firm and final. Hagrid held out his arm to beckon her to his side when Draco made a small movement forward, opening his mouth. And in the next moment, Draco found himself slammed high up against the tree, unable to move with a huge unseen force pressing all air from his chest.

"W-a-a-it," he managed to get out.

Severus flicked his wand, causing Draco's wand to fly out of his robes. Severus caught it and pocketed it himself. Draco felt another spell hit him and he knew his former professor was checking over his person for any hidden magical objects or devices. He grew red in the face from the lack of air and all he could do was stare, wide-eyed, hoping the torment would end soon. When his head started to sag, he observed the woman touch Severus' chest lightly and whisper something up to him. Suddenly a new thought hit him completely and Draco knew they had been wrongly informed now.

"I'll give you half a minute. I _urge_ you not to test my patience so get it out fast, _Mr. Malfoy_," Severus hissed in a low, threatening voice.

Still unable to move, he quickly gasped as the force that had been restricting his airflow lifted from his chest. Taking several deep gulps of air, the blood began to flow correctly again, enabling him to string his thoughts together.

"I was just… going to say… that maybe… she should stay. Because if… she's who I think… she is… now, what I have to say… concerns her," he panted heavily.

Severus' lip curled in a sneer. "And just _who _do you think that she _is_?"

"A woman who is… very… important to you. The one… they attacked," he finished, catching his breath at last. "A muggle."

Draco watched, feeling a strong nervous fear as Severus seemed to be contemplating what he'd just said. His visit was going nothing like how he had anticipated. Maybe a different tactic would help. He certainly hadn't come looking for a fight but only to offer his knowledge, limited though it may be.

"Perhaps we should take this discussion to a more suitable location," Severus said, inclining his head toward the castle.

Giving another wave, the blanket disappeared and Draco felt himself slipping down the treebark. Once he recovered his balance, he nodded. Knowing he'd have to go first, Draco started back up the gentle sloping grounds to the main entrance. Throwing a glance back, he found Hagrid following closely with his wand still aimed at his back and a heavy distrustful scowl on his face. And behind Hagrid came Severus, holding the woman's hand with his wand still trained on Draco also. Draco paused a moment, intrigued in watching the way Severus took care for this beautiful woman.

Once they found themselves in the headmaster's office, Severus murmured a few quiet words to Hagrid, who promptly left. Draco took a seat pointed out to him in front of the desk as Severus and the woman rounded it. Draco watched with growing interest as his former professor conjured a comfortable chair for the woman to sit in close beside him before sitting himself, in the headmaster's chair.

"You understand that it was rather foolish and extremely risky to show up here today, uninvited?" Severus asked with a heavy sneer. "I could send for the Ministry to come collect you for doing such and not listen to a word you have to say."

"I hope that you do not, but if you feel you have no other choice…." Draco's voice trailed off.

Severus could honestly see that the young man before him, brave front that he presented, was still quite scared underneath it all. "We shall see. Now why are you here? What relevant information do you claim to have?"

"It's not a lot, sir, but first, is she the one that was attacked and is it true that she is a muggle?" he asked, nodding toward the woman by Severus' side.

"What she may or may not be has no bearing on this conversion. You do not even need to know her name as far as I'm concerned," Severus said in a reproachful huff and flourishing his wand in a threatening manner. "You're the one offering up information here, not me."

They stared at each other for a long, tense minute until Draco cleared his throat to begin. "If she is that woman, I know who it was that found out about her and ordered for her to be attacked. I also know why. I just don't know who actually did it though."

"Oh? And who was it that found out?" Severus inquired mildly.

"It was all brought about by my aunt Bellatrix. She apparently made it a point to spend countless hours either following you or trying to dig up the tiniest amount of evidence against you to present to… to the Dark Lord, hoping to prove you were not to be trusted."

Severus pursed his lips before asking, "Do you know when she started this… this obsession of hers?"

"From what I understand, it must have been shortly after my mother and she came to see you, about me. But when you-" Draco swallowed hard before continuing, "when you did what you did for me, that night on the tower, she redoubled her efforts to get back at you for that. She believed you'd stolen my moment to shine, stolen the glory and the reward that should have been mine."

Severus snorted. "How very like her to think that way."

Draco's face looked drawn, though he agreed. He chanced a small glance toward the woman again who was looking intently up at Snape with a peculiar fondness. There was something about her face; he'd once seen that look quite often, long ago. Realization dawned on him as to just what it was and his jaw literally dropped open.

"But- but they were wrong, completely wrong about it!" he exclaimed softly, almost to himself.

Severus cocked his brow. "_What_ were they wrong about?"

"All of it, about her and what she was- ahh… is to you. I see that now, as plain as day. Bella didn't have a lot to go on but it was all wrong," Draco finished quickly.

"Would you quit rambling and get it out?" Severus barked at him.

"She didn't know it was anything real. The two of you, well, you umm, love each other, ah… don't you? I used to see my mother look at my father like that. A very long time ago." Draco said rather shyly while turning red in the face over discussing such intimate matters with his former professor.

To him, Snape's face was unreadable but the woman smiled a wide sweet smile with sparkling eyes and simply said, "Yes."

"Bella never would have believed it though. She thought she was only a- a- well a…"

"A _what_ Mr. Malfoy?"

"You _know_, a… well, I don't want to say it." Draco looked uncomfortable. "It'd be quite rude and offensive."

"A whore, a tart, nothing more or less," said the woman softly, giving a slight shudder.

Again the young wizard nodded, "Yes. Bella believed you bewitched her, into- to only being with you, that you fancied her looks and that you went to her only. That's not true and now I understand why exactly you were so careful when mother came to see you, why you have been working from here. You've been protecting her at all costs. But those few who did know about her were told that she didn't survive. But now anyone who might have known about her is dead except-"

"Except who?" Severus asked sharply.

"My father and I. Though he knows much more than I do. Mother knows nothing of it. There was always much they left her out of and for good reason." Draco looked down at his hands. "She could barely handle what she had to be a part of as it was."

Severus eyed him now almost suspiciously, "Tell me Draco, why _exactly_ did you come here to tell me all of this?"

Draco dropped his head a moment and stared at his hands. "You saved my life that night. Regardless of what anyone else may believe about the situation, I owe you my life."

"And this has been weighing… on your so-called _conscience_?" Severus' tone was unmistakable sarcastic.

"Yes, in a way, it has. So much was lost from all this and I thought that you had a right to know the truth about why she was dead, or rather left for dead."

Severus arched his brow. "And did you also hope that, in telling me, that I would possibly try harder at figuring out what's wrong with your father?"

"I'll admit the thought crossed my mind. Have you had any luck at all, sir?"

"I'm afraid not."

Draco sighed. "I honestly figured as much. Neither has Healer Whetstone. Mother is not taking it well. They may not have what they used to a long time ago but since we've lost most all other family from this, she hopes he'll manage to pull through."

Severus held his wand firmly and stood. "You know I have to ask it of you Draco."

"I expected nothing less from you over this. Don't worry, I won't fight you. I wouldn't last long anyway."

Draco winced hard as Severus thoroughly probed his mind checking to see if he'd shared all that he knew. When Severus was satisfied, he sat and gave him a small nod.

Letting out a long, pent up breath, Draco looked once more at the woman. "I am glad you're alive and safe after all. No other innocents needed to die because of me or anyone else."

The woman gave him a sweet, kind smile and took Severus' hand in hers. At her action, Draco noticed something else he'd never seen in Professor Snape's face before and it started from his eyes.

"You finally look happy, sir."

"I am very much so, Mr. Malfoy," he replied, giving her hand a tight squeeze.

"Good. You deserve to be after all these years. And your secret is safe with me until you chose for it to be made known. There's no reason why Mother needs to know anything still."

Severus nodded his thanks. "Hagrid is waiting to show you out and will return your wand to you."

Draco Malfoy bid them farewell and left.

Severus stood once more and pulled Caterina to her feet, searching her over with a practiced eye. "Hold still, Love."

He ran his wand over and around her several times, occasionally uttering a spell in his deep, quiet voice. The one that sent wonderful chills up and down her spine. But she waited patiently as he completed his inspection.

"Did he touch you at all before Hagrid or I came?" Severus demanded, his tone expressing his great concern.

Caterina shook her head. "No and I think, until the two of you arrived, he believed I was the new Muggle Studies teacher."

"That's good. I'm not finding anything at all and, honestly," Severus explained, "the locket would have shielded most any spell he might have been capable of hitting you with."

"How did you know, Severus?"

He stared down at her and pulled her tight into his arms, "One of the spells I added to the locket. When you grabbed it in a fearful manner, it alerted me. I had already finished up with the potion inspections and was on my way out to join you."

Caterina stared up at him in wonder. "Always my tall, dark and handsome Prince Charming, coming to my aid."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, my Love."

"Though, I do want to know why you've never flown with me before?" she asked him rather curiously.

"Flying unaided like that requires extreme mind control, focus and discipline. And you, my dear, are notoriously distracting to me, though in a very good way."

Caterina laughed at his honest admission and stretched up on her toes for a kiss.

* * *

Later that evening, as Severus watched Caterina practicing ballet, his mind was still going over Draco's unexpected visit. There were several very important bits of information that Draco had given him without even realizing it and Severus intended to utilize it all as best he could. He was beginning to formulate a plan when Caterina dropped into his lap.

"You're a million miles away again, plotting something, aren't you?" she sweetly inquired of him.

"Well, to tell the truth, yes I was, but I think I will push it all aside for now and come back to you."

Caterina looped her arms around his neck and began running her fingers through his hair. Severus closed his eyes, relaxing into her sweet touch as it always helped to clear his mind. He lightly slipped his hands under her shirt, caressing the soft skin of her back. Drawing them around to her front, he suddenly remembered something he'd finished for her earlier that very day but had to put aside due to the unexpected arrival of young Mr. Malfoy.

"I have something for you," he whispered into her ear before biting it gently.

Caterina squirmed at the tickling sensations but he held her tight. "Oh you do?" she managed to utter.

His tongue traced down the side of her neck before he added, "It's a surprise of sorts."

Severus held out his hand as a small round container sailed from across the room into it. Carefully he unscrewed the lid, showing a thick lotion of a light pink color inside the little tub. It smelled mildly of mixed berries.

"It took awhile to get the scent just right without compromising the effects of the lotion itself. But before I did so, it was rather atrocious and strong smelling."

Caterina looked quizzically from Severus to the lotion and back to him again. "What's it for?"

Severus snickered lightly, "If you take your shirt off, I'll show you."

She lifted her shirt and quickly pulled it over her head, dropping it beside them on the couch.

Severus dipped his head forward to kiss her breasts. "Hmm, actually this might be easier if you were lying down."

He stood with her in his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist. Severus carried her over to the bed, gently laying her down. Before joining her, he quickly undressed himself. She watched him with a delighted smile, growing all the more eager to find out just what the lotion was for. Severus slipped onto the bed beside her, resting the little open tub on her thigh. Carefully he scooped out an ample amount on his index finger and began to rub it on the right side of her stomach.

Caterina gasped as an odd tingling sensation followed along where Severus rubbed. It quickly went from hot to cold before feeling very tight for several moments until it passed altogether. She struggled slightly to sit up and when she looked down where he'd applied the lotion, one of her scars was now gone. A strong wave of emotion hit her as she met Severus' shining black eyes and a small tear dropped from her blue ones.

"I've been wanting to take these away for you for a long time," Severus said tenderly. "It took awhile to get the lotion just right, so it would be completely permanent and not just superficial."

"Oh Severus!" she sobbed happily, pulling him down for a long adoring and thankful kiss.

He ran his long fingers around her neck and down between her breasts before slowly pulling away with a large mischievous smirk. "Why don't you let me finish and then you can thank me all you want afterwards?"

"With pleasure, Darling."

It didn't take long for all the scars to vanish away forever and, when they had, Severus picked Caterina up off the bed and stood her in front of the full-length mirror. She ran her fingers across the area that had carried the horrid scars for years, only now to find smooth white skin. Caterina turned to face him, her eyes full of tears and love.

"I-I… Oh Severus-"

"Shhhh." He held his finger to her trembling lips. "If I could have prevented you from ever having those at all I would have done so in half a heartbeat. But I couldn't and this was the next best thing that I could do for you."

Between her tears and kisses, Caterina pulled him back to the bed onto which they promptly tumbled, completely clothes free and completely intertwined with each other.

The next morning dawned clear and beautiful for the start of July. Severus and Caterina were waiting for Healer Brock to take another blood sample and compare it with the one from the week previous. Soon he joined them in the little exam room at St. Mungo's. Caterina watched, amazed as always how Wizarding medicine differed so from Muggle medicine. To extract her blood, he simply held a small vial to her arm, waved his wand and the vial was full. No painful pokes from a missed needle or the uncomfortable feeling of watching one's own blood drain out. With another wave of his wand, the healer sent the vial off to be immediately tested. While that was taken care of, Brock quizzed Caterina on how she had been feeling with each dose. Before they knew it, the results of her blood appeared on Healer Brock's clipboard which he took several minutes to compare and look over.

"Hmm. That's somewhat unexpected."

"What is?" Severus asked, a touch of alarm sounding in his voice.

"Nothing bad at all. Caterina's just responding so much better with this last dose. More than we had actually anticipated," Brock stated happily.

"And does that change anything?"

"I'm not an authority on this but, to me, it would suggest that she might not need to stay on this potion for as long as was first indicated."

Caterina's eyes widened hopefully at that as Brock caught her expression and patted her hand. "_Might_, I said. I'll certainly need to consult with those in the Unspeakable Department regarding any possible changes though. I promise to get back to you as soon as we come to a decision."

They left St. Mungo's to emerge onto the streets of London. Caterina had a few errands that she needed to see to for Jamison. Severus kept a tight arm around her, with his wand ready, as always, when they found themselves out in public. He was about to guide her across an intersection when she oddly resisted him. Turning to see what she could be caught up over, his eyes followed hers to a large window display on the opposite street. Severus couldn't help but almost grin as he knew why she'd stopped.

"Would you like to go in there?" he asked, his own interest taking hold now.

He scanned the clothed plastic people in the windows and tried to envision Caterina in one of the many wedding dresses displayed there. She leaned back, sighing happily as his arms came around her waist and she felt him lightly kiss her neck.

"Not with you," she giggled, catching his confused look. "I don't know what wizarding traditions are concerning weddings, but generally for the rest of us, the groom doesn't get to see the dress until the day of the wedding."

"Ahh, I can see the appeal of that tradition." He grinned playfully. "Honestly, though, I'm not all that familiar with wizarding wedding traditions myself."

"Well maybe we can have a blending of sorts, between the two."

"However you would like to do this is fine by me," Severus murmured low into her ear.

Caterina turned completely in his arms, looking stunned at him. "Really? You don't care if we have the biggest, most elaborate wedding of the century that takes three whole years to plan?"

Severus practically choked, becominghighly concerned over that. "Let me rephrase that. I _do_ care, but ultimately I want _you_ to be happy and to enjoy it. But I get all the say in what we do afterwards."

"_Afterwards_? Isn't that a given?" she asked cheekily, giving him a knowing smirk and wink.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Well yes, but I meant specifically the honeymoon and where we go."

Caterina threw her arms around his neck and gave him one of her most irresistible smiles with her vivid blue eyes burning into him. Severus stood quite mesmerized for a long moment.

"Nope," he said tapping her nose sweetly and coming to his senses. "I know just what you're trying to do but you won't get a word out of me over it."

They started walking again. "Darling, you do know I was just kidding about the giant wedding?"

Severus almost stopped again. "I actually assumed you'd want something big and bold and _very_ Clarkstone. I'd already begun preparing my mind to get used to the idea."

"In a different life, perhaps, or if my dear Mum were here to insist upon it," Caterina said with a bit of sadness. "But Jamison and I have worked really hard to keep the family name out of the papers the past few years and I plan on keeping it that way."

Severus gave her hand a loving squeeze and nodded in understanding before she continued.

"So… I was thinking about something small with only a few people. Maybe around Christmas?" Caterina said quietly.

This time Severus did stop. "_This_ Christmas. As in roughly six months from now?"

"Yes, _this_ Christmas. Would that be okay with you?"

"Yes!" Severus exclaimed in a loud voice that surprised her. "We could get married tomorrow and I'd be more that _okay_ with it. Again, I assumed you would want to take your time, planning and doing whatever it is that take brides so long."

"No. Not at all," Caterina shook her head, beaming up at him. "I was thinking Christmas because of the break in the school terms and I'll be off this potion by then."

Severus cupped her sweet face in both hands, not even caring that they were standing in the middle of a crowded London sidewalk.

He gently kissed her lips and smiled broadly down at her, "Christmas it is then."

Before returning to Hogwarts, Caterina purchased a large stack of muggle periodicals concerning all things wedding. As far as finding out specific wedding traditions for wizards, he could only think of Minerva as a place to start. They both realized they hadn't told anyone yet about their engagement when Minerva practically gushed all over them with happiness, her old green eyes laced with tears of joy. Caterina informed Jamison next and then plunged into wedding details while Severus found himself debating a very tempting idea in relation to the Malfoys.

Severus spent the next day carefully researching and plotting out his plan. He would have to move quickly to put it into action as Lucius seemed to be getting worse by the week. Caterina knew Severus was up to something as he spent several hours absent from the castle over the next few days but refused to tell her where, or what exactly he was doing. She didn't press him, understanding that he was accustomed to having to keep all these sorts of delicate plans to himself from his years of spying. He always kept himself safe and guarded and she trusted him to continue to do so, though she couldn't help but worry still.

Saturday rolled around, meaning another potion for Caterina. Healer Brock had contacted them and informed her that for now they would make no changes to her potions doses or schedule but that they would re-evaluate it each week now. Saturday was also the day for Severus to put his plan into action. After breakfast and Caterina's potion, he told her he'd be gone only a few hours. Severus promised to stay safe and to remain as cautious as ever.

Everything went according to Severus' plan. Healer Whetstone arrived at Malfoy Manor at his usual hour and was shown, as usual, by Draco to Lucius' room. The healer went over the usual list of questions with the young man, who then left to check on his mother in the garden as usual. But Healer Whetstone was not the usual Healer Whetstone. He was in fact Severus, polyjuiced and only acting the part. When he'd left the castle over the past few days, he'd quickly located the old, prominent healer and easily found out every last bit of information he'd needed about the healer's habits and routines. The actual Healer Whetstone had been obliviated and left with the memory of having already seen Malfoy Senior on Saturday.

Severus knew he had more than thirty minutes to get any and all information out of Lucius. It was plenty of time. Lucius lay on the bed, barely aware that the healer was even with him. But when Severus entered his mind, Lucius' eyes widened and regained a bit of their normal spark. He lifted a hand off the bed, pointing and muttering incoherently at the healer, but that was the extent of his resistance.

Severus watched through many disjointed and partial images for several long minutes, first searching for anyone remotely fitting Porter Kingston's description. He had little control on what was being shown to him and did not want to risk speaking Caterina's name unless absolutely necessary. Suddenly, as if Lucius knew what Severus was after, the image of Bellatrix was propelled forward along with parts of a conversion. It led into arguing between the two of them, followed by the image of a familiar old man, scared and begging for his life. He heard Bella's ridiculous and insane laugh just as the flash of green sent the man sprawling backward onto the floor, dead. There came more of her maniacal laugh as she jumped up and down screaming, _'We have it, we have it' _right when a flash of another kind appeared in the room directly in front of Severus.

Shocked over its unwelcomed appearance, he severed the spell between himself and Lucius, staring now at what was before him. He'd never once received one. Not once during the past year as headmaster but he knew exactly what it was.

It couldn't be. His heart raced and he wiped sudden sweat from his brow before grasping the red burning note in front of him. It simly read, _'Emergency. Return immediately.'_ and was on official Hogwarts infirmary stationary. No one would dare send him such a note unless it was an extreme emergency that pertained to one person and one person only - _his beloved Caterina._

* * *

A/N: Well, just as the title says, this chapter was full of unexpected information, from everywhere, from little to big and all the way to the end! Yikes! :{ Hope you enjoyed it all!

Thank you all for the wonderful comments on the last chapter! I'm so happy that everyone loved the how and where of Severus' proposal to Caterina. The Prince ring as well as several of Caterina's outfits and cottage pics as I envision it are in an album on my Facebook page. Send me a friend request letting me know you're from Fanfiction if you'd like to see them! Until next time, my sweet readers! :)


	49. Discoveries

**Chapter 49**

**Discoveries**

Severus had no time to even begin processing what he'd seen in Lucius' mind as all thoughts were washed away by the summons. Two entirely different plans of action converged within his head: one safe, the other not so safe, but much quicker than the first. The utter panic Severus felt coursing through his entire body made him want to drop everything and apparate directly to the Hogwarts infirmary from right there inside the manor, taking the quicker plan. Though, to do so, he'd have to undo several extremely powerful spells that protected the large house. He could easily manage it, but by the time he'd removed them, it was entirely possible that someone in the house would realize it and come searching. Severus froze for a long moment.

He _needed_ to get back to Caterina immediately but, at the same time, he still felt it imperative that he not blow his cover at the Malfoy's. There was still too much unknown and up and disappearing from the house would not be a wise choice. Glancing up at the large ornate mantle clock, he was greatly relieved to find he had only about ten minutes remaining of being Healer Whetstone. He was resigned to go with the safer plan.

Since he'd actually taken nothing from the medical bag he carried, he simply picked it up and headed for the door. The bag housed only a few real healers' tools along with several disguised vials of polyjuice potion. Customarily the healer met with Mrs. Malfoy, either on the veranda or in the smaller drawing room, for tea afterwards and to aimlessly recount what his continual findings were. That would not happen today. Not a chance in hell.

Just then there came a knock at the bedroom door. Severus internally cursed at himself for flinching so openly at it. All his years as a competent and highly successful spy and he was now reduced to jumping like some ninny first year over a simple, ordinary sound. Taking a deep, calming breath, he quickly collected himself to hold the healer's normal stance and strode toward the opening door.

To his great fortune it was only Draco, not Narcissa as he'd feared. She would only serve to severely delay him. Suddenly he knew just how to handle getting himself out of there as Draco looked at him expectantly.

"Ah, there is no change in your father's condition, though it doesn't appear to have worsened since my last visit. Now, I regretfully will not be available to join your mother for our usual tea."

Draco seemed only mildly phased by this. "Well I suppose I don't blame you. It gets somewhat old, discussing it over and over. Though it's become routine for her and she finds a certain comfort in it."

Severus fought the strong urge to roll his eyes. "Not in the least, as I understand what it means to her. I happen to have a pressing emergency that has arisen and I must be moving on to deal with it."

Draco held out his hand to shake the healer's hand in thanks and took closer notice. "Are you feeling well, sir? You're looking rather pale."

"Fine, fine. I'm fine. Now I must be on my way," Severus pressed.

Draco nodded. "Tomorrow the specialist from London comes. I'll be sure to have him forward his findings to you and we'll see you again on Monday."

Severus felt certain, had he to endure a moment longer there, he'd have an aneurism on the spot. Swiftly exiting the manor, he all but ran to the closest apparition point near the gate. As he disapparated he felt the polyjuice potion beginning to revert him back to normal. It couldn't have been timed any more perfectly. And the moment he reappeared just outside the Hogwarts infirmary, he quickly transfigured his robes back into his usual black ones, without missing a step as he hurried through the doors.

At the far end of the infirmary, stood a small group huddled around one of the beds. Severus' heart pounded violently fast, not knowing what awaited him. Even from his shielded view, he could see instantly that it was his beautiful Caterina lying upon the bed. His Love appeared to be shivering. As he closed in upon the group, his eyes quickly took in the others that were there; Minerva, Poppy, and Slughorn. But the one person who stopped his heart immediately was Healer Brock. Along with him were two other healers, obviously from St. Mungo's as well. Their presence triggered an even deeper feeling of foreboding. It was at the moment, as well, that Severus realized Caterina was not shivering but having rather sharp convulsions from time to time and it was as if he couldn't move fast enough to reach her.

It seemed as though everyone saw or heard Severus' approach at once and they all turned to watch him with plainly sympathetic faces. Minerva, knowing it was going to be a very difficult moment for him, half tugged and pulled at Poppy and Slughorn. Sensing her meaning, they stepped back, leaving it up to Brock to be the bearer of news regarding Caterina's state. Brock gave a quick, quiet word to the other healers, one of whom left via the nearest fireplace floo there in the infirmary, while the other joined the group of Hogwarts staff.

Severus rushed to her side, taking her quivering hand firmly in his own and pressing his other hand soothingly against her forehead. Eyeing Brock, mouth open, he tried forming the questions but was unable to speak as a raw fear poured forth from the depths of his black eyes.

Brock fought to force the direness of the situation from his face and to answer with some hopefulness in his voice. "It's serious. I won't lie to you, Severus. And I think the only thing holding her together this much still is the protective spell she was so mysteriously blessed with."

"What… happened?" Severus asked, out of breath just from the thought of what the healer was implying.

"We're still not entirely sure. Seems she collapsed just a short while ago but managed to call for, I believe, Stella, before slipping into unconsciousness. The little elf used her magic and brought her directly here to Madam Pomfrey who quickly recognized this was beyond her skills and in turn called for me."

"With her and Slughorn's assistance, we quickly ruled out most every poison. I have yet to discover any harmful spells about her, leaving me to think something is amiss with the potion itself. I just sent Healer-trainee Spriggs to summon Unspeakable Hufferton. Everything's just a long shot at the moment," he sighed, stepping closer to Caterina once again, running his wand back and forth over her body. "What has she ingested in the last twenty-four hours?"

Severus paused a moment before quickly rattling off everything he could think of that his sweet precious Caterina had eaten or drank in the last day, finishing off with the mention of the potion. Brock said nothing, knowing none of it really mattered as to what the actual problem could be. He continued to hover his wand above her body, occasionally murmuring a diagnosis spell, checking for anything and everything he could think of, no matter how absurd it might seem.

Suddenly he froze and whipped his head around to face Severus full on. "Please, Severus, _please_ tell me that there's not a chance Caterina is pregnant again?"

Severus' black glinting eyes went wide with shock over the question as he himself turned sharply on the spot to make sure the others hadn't overheard. His eyes then flew back to gaze on Caterina as his mind whirled. They had been careful, hadn't they? Every time, he'd been sure to use the shield charm and it had worked. It _must_ have worked. There was no way it _couldn't_ have worked. No way at all. Suddenly Severus wasn't sure. What if there had been another _accident_? What if he'd not been as careful as he thought each time? No, that just couldn't be possible. He couldn't accept that fact. It _had_ worked.

Brock noticed the extreme hesitation on Severus' face and closed his eyes tightly for a few seconds, trying to reason through his own thoughts. "_Well_? Is there?"

Severus, unable to look the healer in the eye, kept his face trained on Caterina and muttered through his teeth, "No, there shouldn't be a chance. _At all_. We've been careful."

"No matter how careful, _things_ still can happen. You know that as well as I do. How frequently and when was the last time?"

Severus almost cursed at him, positively fuming that the conversion had turned so incredibly personal with his colleagues so close by. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sucked in a deep breath, collecting his thoughts.

"Oh come now," snapped Brock. "It's not the time to incur modesty over it, everyone does it."

Focusing on a tiny sweet freckle on Caterina's arm was the only sure-fire way Severus could think of to keep from busting him in the mouth for that remark. He caressed the freckle with his thumb and counted to twenty before finally answering in the lowest tone possible, while still being audible.

"Several times a week. And most recently, last night."

Severus failed to see any reason to inform the nosy healer that several times a week translated into several times on those days as well. He and Caterina had never had but a few short months to finally and fully express their burning desires for one another before they were separated for what had seemed like an eternity. Since she had been feeling somewhat better recently, neither of them saw the need to keep from expressing their love and deep feelings for each other in such a passionate manner.

"Though nothing showed up in the tests we ran on Monday-"

"You ran one of _those _tests?" Severus asked indignantly. "Why ever on earth?"

"Yes, we did and _always_ do. It's standard procedure to do so since accidents happen from time to time, even with the best of intentions. As I was saying, nothing showed up but it could be too early yet for it. Severus, I'm not saying this is the definite reason for what's happening, just that it's a strong possibility." Brock thought again before speaking. "I've never witnessed first hand what can occur to a woman who becomes pregnant while still taking this particular potion but I've read through as much information as I can get my hands on regarding it, since she's come under my care. And while this would be on the extreme end of the spectrum, reaction-wise, it's also not impossible to rule out-"

"But I've taken the necessary potion myself for this," Severus interrupted, exasperated that the conversion was still following along this course.

"Yes, you have and one dose corrected things completely on your end. But the problem would still be with Caterina's blood, not being entirely compatible yet, as it still contains too much of the imbalance. She could be in the very early stages of pregnancy, maybe only a few days along, and that, mixed with taking a dose…." Brock's voice dropped off, not finishing his thought.

Severus didn't need to hear the rest to understand how horrible it could be. He closed his eyes and felt a sickening fear growing, deep in the pit of his stomach. If Brock were correct in this possibility, how would it affect his Love? What dangers would this put her through now?

"How… how do we find out for sure?" he asked.

Healer Brock took a deep breath. "There's a more detailed blood test I'll have to perform to know for sure."

Hoping against everything that Brock was wrong in his diagnosis, Severus only motioned for him to proceed. Just then there came a quick whooshing sound as the infirmary fireplace lit up, spewing forth the healer-trainee assisting a rather anxious-looking Hufferton. The elderly Unspeakable was carrying a large stack of weathered parchments. His pale eyes darted around furtively, coming to rest on the bed next to Caterina. Resisting any further assistance, he ambled over, carefully laying the parchments upon it, and began performing a complicated waving motion above them with his wand. Severus rightly guessed it was a protective spell to keep anyone from reading the secretive Ministry documents without permission.

Speaking loudly and authoritatively to the room in general, he said, "I'd like everyone out before we proceed any further. There are some highly classified Ministry documents here. I probably shouldn't have even brought a few of them."

Most went willingly but Madam Pomfrey did not take kindly to being ousted from her own ward, even if it was only to be temporary. Brock gave her a sympathetic nod over the directness of the unsociable Unspeakable. In a few short moments, Severus found himself alone with Brock, Hufferton and his sweet, ailing Caterina.

"Well now, give it to me from the beginning. Don't leave out any details, no matter how trivial," stated Hufferton.

Severus cringed internally at the thought of this wizard becoming privy to his and Caterina's intimate actions as well, but he tightly pursed his lips and set his jaw most unapologetically. Brock was only halfway through his detailed assessment, though, when Hufferton suddenly held up his hand and turned to face Severus with a most disgruntled eye. Severus kept his black eyes trained on him, ready to deal with whatever chastisement the elderly wizard was preparing to throw at him.

"And why are you still here?" asked the Unspeakable most indignantly.

"_Excuse me_?" Severus replied, his voice most incredulous.

"I asked all to leave; that includes you as well- "

"_I_ am not about to leave her side ever, and you needn't worry about your precious parchments as I have no desire to steal their long-shielded secrets."

The Unspeakable let out a derisive snort. "I don't care what your intentions may be, _you_ don't have proper authorization to be around this sensitive information."

"I'll take it up with the Minister himself if you _dare_ think you can get me to leave this room," Severus retorted hotly.

"Don't bother, _I'll _see to that myself!" Hufferton shot back and then muttered ever so quietly under his breath, "Ridiculous ingrate who thinks he's entitled to everything after saving the Wizarding World."

"Gentlemen, _please_! Time is of the essence. This can be sorted later," Brock started diplomatically. "I'll vouch for Severus myself to the Minister, if need be, over this abnormal breach of protocol. He has knowledge that may prove useful as well. Now let's get on with it for Caterina's sake."

Severus felt most grateful toward Healer Brock. After much muttered grumbling, Hufferton relented his case, but all the while sent piercing dagger eyes at Severus any moment he could manage them. They quickly reviewed all of the most recent blood test findings from the past few weeks, charting the different levels of each imbalance in her blood. It appeared to be a slower working potion than even Severus originally thought, seeing it so plainly laid out before him in such a manner. Something stuck out oddly to Severus as he sat by Caterina's side but he couldn't quite grasp the whole idea until, through Brock's insistence, Hufferton begrudgingly allowed him to see the highly guarded and restricted potion recipe and its brewing instructions.

In the back of his mind, there stuck one tiny detail, screaming to be noticed as he studied over the information again and again. Admittedly, he was quite intrigued by the sheer genius of how the potion worked in correcting the impurities of the blood and permanently balancing the chemical, as well as the hormonal levels. Briefly, he puzzled over whose brilliant mind might have developed the cure. Severus reread the ingredients attentively and deliberated over each one of their properties in relation to the others. He worked through the brewing instructions meticulously in his mind. The problem was becoming clearer, the haze of fog slowly lifting from around it, as his thoughts raced toward seeing through it all to a single focused point of clarity. There had been a mistake, one _he_ would not have made, had he been given the right to brew the potion himself from the beginning.

"That's it of course!" he all but yelled, jumping up at the same time over having finally settled upon a glaring error of enormous proportions.

"What?" both Brock and Hufferton asked in eager voices.

He didn't reply in his rush to prove and work through the evidence of the mistake. It could not be what Brock thought - that this was a result of Caterina becoming pregnant again - after all. From what he'd just worked out, her current reaction was to something much worse than there still being a blood incompatibility. Much, _much_ worse. Severus grabbed a quill and began a complete recalculation of the potion as the other two wizards came and stood behind him watching silently. It was so clear to him and he flew through it, arriving at a corrected formula in no time.

"Do you see _it_?" he asked them bitterly. "Do you see what the _real_ problem is? Caterina could have taken this potion for a year with no tangible results ever coming about."

Brock's hand reached forward as he drew a slow finger down beside Severus' reworked formula. Then he yanked out the original from behind it, his eyes wildly batting between the two parchments. Severus gave a huff and turned back to Caterina, taking her limp hand in his own as another somewhat ghastly realization gripped him - how were they going to correct the real problem now?

Brock finally let out a low whistle as the Unspeakable continued staring down at the two pages. "Potions' formulas were never my strongest suit but I see now where you're coming from."

"Apparently, it's not the strongest suit of those within the Department of _Mysteriously kept Mysteries _either, to have overlooked an obvious detail as that," Severus said in a voice acidly laced full of accusations. "I'm astounded that no one, _no one _happened to take into account the fact that the potion formula needed to be reworked due to the new, shorter brewing method? With several key ingredients needing to be increased, while others decreased, over the quicker time at a higher brewing temperature."

When Unspeakable Hufferton finally found his voice and spoke up, it became evident he was not going to take responsibility for this huge blunder, either himself or his department. It came to a battle of strong, angry words and even the drawing of wands, until Brock stepped in, seeking to remind them all that Caterina's present condition still needed to be addressed.

"She needs whatever amount of old potion that is still in her purged and the corrected potion started immediately," Hufferton stated matter-of-factly.

Brock's arm shot out to hold Severus back over his stating of the obvious. "There are many spells to empty the contents of one's stomach, but I'm almost afraid none of them will actually extract much due to the advanced nature and design of this potion. It's had close to three hours to properly line her stomach and begin seeping into the first stages of digestion."

Closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, Severus inhaled deeply. "I know a spell that should work." He couldn't believe what he was about to suggest inflicting upon his own sweet Love, but they were left with few options. "It's a rather dark spell in nature, used often by the Dark Lord as a form of torture, but it effectively strips the stomach and throat of all recently ingested substances."

Brock made a twisted face of disbelief at Severus' explanation. "Why in Merlin's name would anyone find use in a spell like that?"

"To a prisoner who hasn't been fed in days, finally to be given something, even small, only to have it yanked away from within them, it's a most effective means of control."

"I guess I could see the torturous benefits in a spell like that then," the healer commented, shaking his head in disgust. "Do you feel up to the challenge of performing the same spell on the woman you love?"

"Yes and no. From what I understand, it can remove thin parts of the inner linings of the stomach and throat areas, causing extreme pain. I know she's not conscious at the moment but what can be done to prevent her from having to suffer any further discomfort and pain?"

Brock thought for several moments before walking over to the infirmary stores in Madam Pomfrey's office. "A strong dose of this one should coat and numb any areas left raw and exposed while the other is a strongly sufficient pain reliever."

The healer held out the two amber colored bottles he'd selected for Severus to read the labels. Severus knew instantly that they were freshly brewed potions by himself and Slughorn and was glad of that fact. Caterina would not be getting another single dose of _any _potion that didn't come directly from his own hand and on-going supervision. Hufferton could say what he thought on that and take it directly to the Minister himself. Severus wagered heavily that he himself was much better acquainted with Kingsley Shacklebolt and would have an easy time of persuading the acting Minister to see the situation his way.

Hufferton stood watching them with his arms folded defensively across his chest. "I can't believe you're really going to let him do this to her! A dark spell! After all she's been through- "

"Yes! After all she's been through at _your_ supposedly capable hands as well! Least now _we're_ getting it set to rights!" Severus shot hotly back at him. "If you can't handle that, then I suggest you clear out."

"You seem to be forgetting that if I leave, the potion and its directions go with _me_."

Severus walked over to the aged Unspeakable, stopping less than a foot from him, speaking in a deadly serious whisper. "Am I to assume _you_ are outright _refusing_ to treat someone based on the fact that you disagree with how it's now being handled - by being taken out of _your_ immediate care? The Department of Mysteries personnel must think of themselves as gods to be so daringly bold. Seems to me that someone else who once thought himself so bold was recently overthrown and destroyed."

"I do not like your implications and accusations in that assessment at all, Snape!" Hufferton gasped, while shaking his finger in Severus face.

Once again, Brock stepped between the two wizards before it could deteriorate into anything nasty. "For the time being, I must say that I defer to Severus' suggestion and spell use. I have also started the necessary approval paperwork for brewing the potion Caterina needs here at Hogwarts. Mr. Hufferton, you know for a fact these witches and wizards can be trusted with any sensitive information and, while this is classified, really, what use do any of them have for it and how could they wrongly benefit from it? The potion recipe would ,of course, be limited in its viewing to just myself, Severus and…." Brock stopped there, inclining his head toward Severus for anyone else he saw fit to add.

Despite any reservations, Severus knew it would be arrogant have any help. "Horace Slughorn," he said, knowing the wizard would willingly assist him in any way.

"So there, you see, what real harm is going to come from this?" asked Brock.

Hufferton appeared as though he were about to pop with how red his face was turning. His overall color was close to that of a tomato but, without another word, he walked over to the parchment laden bed, picked up the original potion directions and the copy Severus had worked through. Withdrawing his wand, he waved through yet another complicated set of spells, creating copies of both, which rolled up and sealed themselves with a tightly woven ribbon.

"I'm not at all comfortable with this arrangement, however, we are talking about a life here, which the Department holds as sacred, be they wizard _or_ muggle. These parchments are unduplicatable and can only be viewed by those with the names you mentioned."

Brock nodded, accepting the rolled parchments while Severus only grunted his thanks.

"Now I'm off to explain this massive breach of protocols to those superior. I'll be checking back regularly, you can be sure. Good day, gentlemen."

The elderly Unspeakable gathered the rest of the important documents and quickly made his way back to the fireplace. Grabbing a handful of powder, he stepped into the dancing green flames and vanished, to which Severus let out a low growl.

"_Good riddance!_" he snarled at the dying flames.

With a snort, Brock looked at him and laughed outright. "He is most haughty and insufferable and ridiculously protective of his papers. Yet, regardless of this mess-up, undeniably brilliant. What are the chances he's already beating down the Minister's door as we speak?"

"I'm not worried about that for a second," he said, rolling his eyes in disgust. "Now let's get to Caterina."

Severus felt most aggrieved to perform the dark spell on his Love, despite Brock's assurance that she wouldn't feel any discomfort in her current state. Knowing it was needed, he was quick and calculated in getting the horrid task out of the way, carefully taking her into his arms afterwards while Brock immediately administered the two potions to off-set and aid in the healing of any damage. It would not cause any permanent or lasting effects. They both agreed it best to keep her asleep for a few more hours as her body adjusted, as well as rested, after all she'd been through in the past couple of hours.

"Severus, if you would like, I'll go speak with Slughorn myself and explain the situation."

He simply nodded to the healer, thankful that he was giving him a few minutes of time alone to finally collect and piece together his thoughts of the wild events of that morning. Placing a long lingering kiss on Caterina's lips, and burying his head into her neck, Severus felt like he could breathe almost normally again. And it would be much better once she woke up, later in the day.

Healer Brock returned in a short while, speaking with Severus on several points of interest that Slughorn had brought up on the potion they were to tackle. "Oh, we'll have to run a few extensive tests, but I'm not going to say with one-hundred percent certainty that what she has been taking hasn't helped at all. It's, at the very least, been a start in the healing process."

Somehow, Severus managed to convey his extreme thanks to the wizard before Brock left for the rest of his rounds at St. Mungo's, promising to stop back in the next day or so to check over all her vitals again.

It was the longest day Severus had experienced since before Caterina first woke up, back in St. Mungo's. After a fair bit of coaxing, Minerva and Poppy managed to convince Severus to head off with Slughorn in starting a completely new batch of the infamous Potion Twenty-seven, as they promised to stay with her. After collecting all the needed ingredients and starting the base for the potion, they went back again and approached the potion's formula at an entirely new angle. After a few hours of debate and computations, they thought they might have hit on an even faster way to brew the potion, cutting it down to a mere three days. Both of them worked and reworked the principles of the brewing procedure against the necessary ingredients. They felt it was worth the chance at trying it both ways and soon they had the second, shorter round brewing to test their new theories.

It wasn't until Severus heard the distant chimes of the clock tower tolling out the midnight hour that he realized they'd been working for well more than half the day. Briefly he thought back as to how the whole day had started, with him disguised at Malfoy Manor. That felt like it had been days or weeks ago, not only hours. He'd given what he'd seen in Lucius' mind no more thought. There would be time for that later, and perhaps even another visit to collect more information from the ailing wizard's mind. And then Severus realized no one had alerted him to Caterina waking up. Slughorn sensing his sudden uneasiness, figured it was over Caterina and told Severus to go to her while he took care of cleaning up the lab. When it came to Caterina, Severus didn't need to be told twice. He gave Slughorn a grateful nod and hurried off to the infirmary.

Upon entering, he discovered a few dim candles lighting the way to Caterina's bed, where he found Minerva sitting and reading through a large, ancient-looking transfiguration text. Madam Pomfrey was still in her office and she came out to listen as Severus related the progress they had hopefully achieved on the potion.

When he was finished, Poppy laid a hand on Severus' arm and softly spoke, "She's come out of the sleeping potions and is just sleeping on her own now. I thought she was about to stir once but all she did was roll over, continuing to sleep."

"Once more, I'm indebted to you both for your help- " Severus bowed his head, wearily.

"Severus, don't even bother. We are all more than happy to help. Caterina has been through more than her fair share of troubles and it's the least any of us can do after all you did over the years, risking your life with us ignorantly unaware, and even accusing you of crimes most heinous at times," Minerva said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Now that she's in your capable hand's, we'll leave you alone for the night."

Severus crawled onto the small infirmary bed and curled himself against Caterina's warm body. It didn't register until that very moment just how weary and exhausted he felt after the non-stop day of unwelcomed events. Too tired he was to bother with magically enlarging the bed. It was perfectly snug with her in his arms and he didn't mind one bit. After countless years of being alone with no one, he would never tire of holding her close. Nuzzling into her soft, sweet scented curls, he soon fell asleep himself.

He hadn't been dozing long before he was shocked away by a sudden jolting sensation. Instantly, Severus went into full alert mode, taking in the surroundings while remaining as still as possible. Unable to fixate on anything out of the ordinary, he wondered if it came from his mind, still running in high, overactive gear. Tightening his hold around Caterina's waist, he closed his eyes, only to feel it again. This time, however, he smiled and snickered lightly, knowing what it had been. Caterina had kicked him with all her might, and by the way she began to struggle, she was obviously frustrated by the close confines of the small bed.

Severus held her firmly, whispering softly into her ear, which caused her to roll over and face him. Her beautiful face held a scared, frightful look.

"Oh Severus! I had the most horrid nightmare." she said in a quiet, scratchy-sounding voice.

He cringed, knowing his actions had caused that. It didn't matter to him how quickly it would heal.

Pushing several curls from her face, he softly kissed her lips and whispered, "Everything's going to be okay now, my Love. I promise."

At that, Caterina struggled again but this time in an effort to sit up and take in the surroundings. Severus helped her up on the small bed as he pulled her to lean against his chest.

"It- it wasn't a dream, was it?" she gasped.

"No, unfortunately, it was not at all. How do you feel? Do you feel any pain anywhere?"

Her turquoise eyes locked fearfully into his but after a long moment she said, "I don't think there's any pain but my throat is very dry."

Caterina's voice was quite rough and Severus summoned a glass of water for her. Then he gently explained all that had transpired and what they had discovered because of it. Very carefully, he alluded to the fact of Brock first believing it all came about by her possibly being pregnant again. Until then, he hadn't really thought about it but in many ways, her collapsing had ultimately been a blessing in disguise. Eventually, the potion mistake would've been discovered but Severus hated to think at what cost.

Caterina stayed rather quiet, listening as he talked, but when he finished, he noticed her bright blue eyes were slowing welling up with tears. And he knew without her even saying so, that she was dreading the idea of starting the whole potion over again.

"I'm very grateful, don't get me wrong, but I don't even want to think about how this new, proper potion will affect me, if the other wasn't near what it should have been. It's like being almost useless when I first take it now as it is."

Severus growled sharply in her ear and wiped a tear from her cheek. "_You_ are anything but useless. You manage to keep me on my toes every single day and in the very best of ways."

She gave him a charming smile and clasped her hands to his chest. "You _know _what I mean."

"Really, I'm not sure that I do. I thought it was all just a well orchestrated ploy to garner more attention from me. Which, by the way, you don't need to do at all, since I'm most willing to lavish every last bit of my time and efforts upon you," Severus teased.

Caterina giggled, her eyes brightening again as she clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh dear! You figured me out. I'll admit, I was running out of ideas to continually land me in your wonderful arms each day," she said in a sweet mocking tone, batting her lashes.

"You silly woman! The only thing you need to do to be in my arms is to crawl right in them," he said emphatically, pulling her tight to himself and locking his arms securely around her.

Caterina's face looked positively gleeful for a long moment before she replied, "And you'll remember that when I attempt to do such as the entire student body looks on, once school is in session?"

Severus sputtered, trying hard to mask it as a weak cough while he recovered from her comment. "Absolutely, I'll just assign them all detentions for ogling the headmaster and his beautiful bride when it happens."

"It's going to be an awfully quiet year, with everyone spending all of it in detention then," she sweetly laughed.

* * *

A/N: Who'd of thought that the all-wise Unspeakables could _ever_ make any mistakes? Most thankfully it's now being sorted by Severus' very skilled and capable hands and I promise Caterina will suffer no more now! ;) Thanks so much for continuing to follow along reading and I hope you're enjoying the adventure! Yikes ~ we're getting close to the end. *sniff, sniff*


	50. Suspenseful Surprises

**Chapter 50**

**Suspenseful Surprises**

Caterina sat perched on the edge of the infirmary bed, thumbing through a thick bridal dress catalog. Every time she gasped or cooed, Severus fought the urge to grin almost stupidly.

"I know you don't particularly enjoy staying here while I'm in the lab- " he started

"So you thought buying up every current bit of wedding related materials and catalogs off the stands would be the best way to bribe and appease me," she interjected.

"Is it working?" he asked his deep rich voice.

"For now, but you better work rapidly to finish, before I run out of material to keep me occupied."

"What do you mean?" Severus was taken aback. "There's enough there for several weeks worth and we only have a few more days left of this."

Eyeing the almost foot tall stack of magazines on the table beside her, she covered his hand with hers, rubbing it gently and smirked, "No Darling, try two, maybe three days max here."

Severus shook his head at her, raised her hand to his face and gently caressed it along his cheek before kissing the back of it.

"Chalk it up to one of those many mysteries of women," she giggled.

"I certainly will. Now, I promise to be back to you before lunch time."

Severus had felt it best for Caterina to remain under the watchful eye of Poppy while he ventured down to the dungeon lab each day, inspecting and tending to the new potion batches, as well as checking and rechecking the figures that Slughorn had helped him recalculate on the new, faster potion brewing procedure. Although she enjoyed the mediwitch's company, and the rest of the staff came in an almost constant stream to visit her, Caterina was not fond of being there in the infirmary. She preferred to stay with Severus but she knew it probably best not to interfere while he so fiercely concentrated on the potion work and getting it perfected.

And while he was never short or impatient in the least, over anything where she was concerned, she was beginning to notice he was becoming very gruff and on edge with everyone else. Between what Minerva and Poppy had pieced together and shared with her, Caterina knew Severus' anger stemmed from that Unspeakable and his threatening to take things to the Minister of Magic himself. From what little she could coax out of him, Severus was almost eager for anyone to dare come and question him over his actions as he had no reason to apologize nor pander to the Ministry about anyone's ruffled feathers over shared secret parchments and potions. Not when it involved a precious life.

Healer Brock visited as promised and brought good news in the fact that, from his more in-depth tests, the botched potion had worked somewhat on her condition, though it hadn't done near what it should have. Thankfully it had not caused any new or unforeseen issues, nor would it hinder further progress once the new potion was started. The best news came from what Severus had been so diligently grueling over, for, if all he and Slughorn had factored turned out correct, the faster brewed potion would be stronger and require fewer doses.

Severus knew he was spending more time than actually necessary on all his potion workings and corrections but it was for his Caterina and he would risk _nothing_ this time around. He'd happily go over the recalculations and revisions a hundred times more to ensure it would work correctly, hoping all the while that the faster method would turn out successful as well. Oddly enough, working with Slughorn on this project had not been nearly as bad as he'd anticipated. Tuning out the man's incessant boastings at times was easy enough to do; Severus did that with practiced ease from years of putting up with infernal and unending student chatter.

There were a few times when he did fight the urge to hex Slughorn into silence, most usually when he babbled on about charging the Ministry and the Department of Mysteries quite heftily for their time and effort in revising their own potion for them.

"I say, 'tis a shame this potion is needed so infrequently or we could possibly market it ourselves, make our own profit, you know," Slughorn said heartily one afternoon.

Severus counted back from twenty, as had become recent habit for him, before responding in an icy tone, " I, for one, would _never_ wish what Caterina has endured upon any woman and am grateful this condition continues to have an extraordinarily low occurrence rate."

Slughorn turned red and sputtered for a moment, "Oh yes, I- well, that's a very good thing indeed. I'm not trying to make light of her dire suffering and situation from this."

Rolling his eyes and snorting derisively, Severus hurriedly strode off to dinner with his sweet Caterina. Upon reaching the infirmary, he discovered her in a most jovial mood. When she saw him coming, she jumped up and launched herself into his wonderful arms, looking completely beautiful as she beamed with exhilaration.

"I found it!" she shrieked excitedly.

"Found what, my Love?"

"The basis for what I'd like my wedding gown patterned after!"

She, in a wedding gown, was a blissful thought to him and he actually grinned. "I don't suppose you'll tell me anything about it or even let me have a peek at it, will you?"

She kissed his lips and smirked cheekily. "Not a chance!"

* * *

The day before the new three-day potion was to be ready for a trial testing, Severus received some much dreaded news via an official Ministry courier. The Minister of Magic himself would be paying Severus a visit later in the day, for the purpose of addressing issues relating to the possible abuse and misuse of highly sensitive and secretive Department of Mysteries information. Rarely had Caterina seen him so hot over anything, unless it dealt directly with her, and, in all regards, this was brought about over her. She tried her best to calm him, knowing it would do no good for him to enter a meeting with anyone as fired-up and raging with anger as he was over this inquiry.

After an early lunch, Caterina coaxed him back to their room, urging him to think rationally about how he could best explain the situation to the new Minister, without resorting to the use of wands.

"Since you have an established rapport with him, you already have the upper hand, Love," Caterina said smoothly while forcing him to sit down on the couch as she worked her fingers into massaging his shoulders and neck, hoping to ease his tension. "And after all, you're in excellent standing with the Ministry with all you've done for them. Don't jump to the defensive right away."

"That's just it, though," Severus began disdainfully, "this isn't something that dire to require the attention of the Minister himself and I don't understand why he feels it necessary to come over this matter."

"Severus Darling, count it as a good thing. This way you'll be communicating everything directly with him about the situation and there will be no middle man to distort or misrepresent what actually happened."

"You have a point there."

"Of course I do. Over the years, I spent a lot of time watching how Jamison dealt with any difficult company issues that arose. As soon as he could arrange it, he always went straight to the top person and he usually achieved reaching his goal for the company by always doing three specific things."

Severus' interest was piqued. "Which were?"

Contemplating over them for a moment, she continued working and kneading her fingers deeply into his tensed muscles. She sensed he was slowly beginning to relax as he closed his eyes and leaned his head back slightly.

"Well, Jamison always arranged for his meetings to take place in his own office - home field advantage, he called it. Then he researched any possible interests of the person to engage them in first, getting them into an easy mood and to break the ice, so to speak, before ever pressing his own agenda."

"Hmm… I believe I easily have those two criteria met, though _small talk _is not something I relish."

Caterina dipped forward and kissed his forehead. "You'll do just fine with it, I'm absolutely sure of it. Besides, it's the third task that Jamison always said was the hardest of the three."

Severus raised his brow and tentatively asked, "That being….?"

"Selecting the best brand of whiskey, scotch or bourbon to serve for drinks."

He pulled her around and settled her into his lap, looking into her sparkling blue eyes and snickering. "That actually isn't as hard as it sounds. I know for a fact which whiskey he likes best and there just happens to be a full bottle in the headmaster's office."

"Perfect!" Caterina exclaimed. "Now there is only one more tiny but oh-so-important detail you don't want to forget."

Severus peered down into her face, quizzically awaiting what else there could possibly be for him to do.

"You _must_ have a good luck kiss from me," she giggled as she clasped her hands around his neck, pulling him forward to meet her lips.

Not quite an hour later, Severus sat in the headmaster's office, ready and feeling extremely confident in his ability to sway the Minister, should he need to, into seeing things _his_ way. He was eager now for Shacklebolt to arrive and felt determined to hold the better part of his temper in check while convincing the wizard. Severus did not give into defeat over anything that dealt with Caterina.

Caterina and Minerva were spending some time sharing tea, discussing wedding ideas and pouring over wedding dresses. Minerva did her best to explain how things appeared to differ in the ceremonies between muggles and wizards. And even though Caterina acted excited, Minerva was quick to judge something to be bothering the pretty, young woman.

Finally she shut the catalog before her, eyed Caterina sharply and said, "Out with it dearie. What's troubling you?"

Caterina laughed. "Is it _that_ obvious?"

"Yes, it is, plus you're much easier to read than Severus," she grinned.

"I'll admit, I'm rather nervous for Severus and his meeting with Minister Shacklebolt. Severus seemed so calm and he promised to try his best not to lose his temper, but…."

Minerva smiled and said, "You know, after everything he's put up with recently, maybe it's best we go poke our heads in to keep an eye on the situation. I know Kingsley quite well and he'd probably welcome the diversion if Severus has started to sink his teeth into him. Both of them can be rather hot-headed and stubborn at times, though I doubt anyone can best Severus' quick sarcastic wit most days."

Caterina laughed and nodded her head in agreement as the two made their way through the castle to the headmaster's office. Minerva paused a moment to listen at the door. There were no raised voices nor the sounds of hexes and curses bouncing around the room. It appeared safe. Knocking twice, she waited, then proceeded to turn the knob when they heard Severus' acknowledgement.

Severus and Minister Shacklebolt were standing in front of the large, ornate headmasters' desk, talking peaceably and sharing what appeared to be drinks of celebratory fire whiskey. Seeing Caterina and Minerva, Severus knew at once the two must have come to keep tabs on his temper if need be, but it was not necessary at all. Things were going much better with Kingsley than he'd anticipated. The Minister's aides were chatting off to one side, but quickly stood alert as the women entered the room. Kingsley drained his glass, set it down on the desk and turned to greet Minerva when his eyes caught sight of sweet Caterina by her side. Severus watched the wizard's reaction to her and felt one of the strongest surges of jealous anger that he ever fought to contain over her. It was obvious from the Minister's face that Kingsley was shocked and entranced by her beauty.

Caterina quickly reached them but, instead of taking her place by Severus right away, she stopped short in front of the Minister. Severus observed a peculiar and intense gaze on her face and watched as she seemingly raised her hand to offer it out to Kingsley, but before anyone knew what was happening, Caterina slapped the minister's face with such a resonating sound, it echoed around the room like a crack of a thunder.

Everyone drew wands at once and Minerva, who happened to be closest Caterina, lunged forward, yanking her back to stand behind her person, as she turned and flourished her wand threateningly at the aides who were fast approaching. Severus knocked over a chair to get to her, staring down at her with wild questioning in his dark eyes but she seemed fixated on Kingsley who was rubbing his stinging cheek, while appearing completely incredulous over her action. Looking back to Caterina, he registered an honest fear mixed with deep raging anger showing forth on her face that puzzled him like nothing else. What had possibly happened in the short while he'd been apart from her?

Suddenly Kingsley threw back his head and let out a long bellowing laugh before booming out, "Everyone's wands away, now!"

No one moved to do so and instead they all stared around at each other waiting for someone else to disarm first and hoping for answers to what they had all just witnessed.

"I dare say you slap with the very best of them, my dear."

"Why, thank you. I'm just sorry to have only gotten the one side," Caterina sharply retorted, ignoring Severus' hiss at her to remain quiet and still.

Kingsley glanced over at his aides and again barked the order for them to stow their wands away. "Believe me, she's no threat, she's only a muggle."

Caterina snickered at that. "Yes, _only_ a muggle and yet here at Hogwarts no less."

He eyed her over and momentarily looked less sure of himself. "I'll admit, I'm still trying to work that part of it out." Glancing over at Minerva, he hazarded a guess. "Visiting a great aunt, distant cousin? Though… wait… the last I remember hearing… there was something about you… playing Sleeping Beauty in the hospital a few weeks back?"

"Well _Sleeping Beauty _woke up, and if you know your fairy tales well enough, you should be able to work out the how."

Looking thoroughly confused now, he frowned slightly. "I'm not familiar with many of those muggle versions, you'll have to enlighten me."

"Traditionally, it was with a kiss from _Prince Charming_, not a _King_. Would you like to meet him, finally?"

Kingsley cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Who?"

"_My_ Prince Charming, that's _who_."

"Yes, by all means. After all this time, I'm rather dying to meet the one who bested my attempts to make _you_ my queen. So where might this _chemistry teacher _of yours be?" Kingsley said in an arrogant tone.

At that utterance, realization washed over Severus like a crashing wave of icy waters. He knew what had just happened now but, before he could react, Caterina slipped her soft little hand into his, pulling him closer to herself and forward.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt or Porter Kingston, whoever the hell you really are, meet my _one_ and _only_ Prince Charming, otherwise known to all as Severus Snape."

The conceded gloat now plastered upon Severus' face as he snuggly wrapped his arm around Caterina's waist and sneered heavily into Kingsley's shocked brown eyes was unparalleled. The acting Minister staggered back in such disbelief, he had to grasp the edge of the desk to support himself for a moment. Severus cemented the victory by smugly planting an extremely well-received kiss upon Caterina's forehead.

Minerva, who knew enough of the situation to have pieced it together by herself, couldn't resist laughing out loud over the irony of it all. "Well, surprisingly, that closes one huge gaping hole in the matter as to who _did not _attack you, and makes for one of the best displays of 'Stupefy' that I've ever had the privilege of seeing performed _without_ the aid of a wand."

Smirking, she patted Caterina on the arm and then turned to the Minister's aides who appeared as baffled as baboons over what had just occurred, and motioned, "Come now, I think there are a few areas around the castle you might like to inspect for the Minister."

Kingsley gave a swift nod and directed them off with the wave of his hand, thankful for her quick, level-headed thinking in the exceptionally awkward predicament they were all standing nose deep in. As the aides followed the tartan clad witch, he couldn't help but stare between Caterina and Severus, standing there before him. All at once, everything he'd known the powerful wizard to have done for the war efforts took on a much better focus and clarity within his mind. Instantly, many of Snape's clandestine actions, along with his unforgiving reclusive nature, made complete sense. More so now than ever, with the knowledge of him having been a well concealed spy in Voldemort's ranks. He'd had someone very special he'd been working to protect at all costs and it had been why he had fought so viciously to cover all of his tracks on both sides. And that special someone was the beautiful Caterina Clarkstone. But how in the world had Severus Snape managed to secure her love? He couldn't help wonder over it, truly amazed at the turn of events.

The silent pause lasted while the remaining three occupants of the room stared on at each other in disbelief, attempting to allow the revelation of everything to sink in upon them. Finally, the sound of a tiny cough followed by a slight chuckle caused them to turn and face the portrait of Albus Dumbledore.

"Did you know _this _all along as well?" Severus snarled indignantly at him, as Caterina leaned her head back into his chest, still reeling with anger.

Shaking his head side to side, the former headmaster held up his hands in defense. "No, I did not have even an inkling of a clue about this. I've always been well aware of Kingsley's fascination and many forays into the muggle world. I never knew he'd taken any aliases with him though." Dumbledore removed his spectacles for cleaning and smiled, "I believe it truly was all sheer coincidence for Caterina to have crossed the path of two formidable wizards, rare as that may be for a muggle."

Kingsley stood there, nodding his head in total agreement. "It's always been just as I'd said from the beginning. I happened to catch a fleeting glimpse of you and knew of you from a muggle co-worker while I worked a short undercover mission for the Ministry. Being, well, highly intrigued, I arranged to be introduced to Jamison, who in turn introduced me to you."

"And then you kept visiting… and _trying_," Caterina snickered lightly.

"Yes, that I did and apparently it was not nearly enough."

Severus snorted over the defeated sounding tone Kingsley's deep voice carried and tightened his hold on Caterina most protectively. All this time, they'd been following an extravagant trail, trying to discern just who Porter Kingston was and all the while, he'd been right under their noses. Caterina tilted her head to smile lovingly at Severus and reached up to gently stroke his cheek.

"To be completely honest, Severus already had himself rooted half-way into my heart, long before you ever showed up, so you never really stood a chance at all."

"It would appear that way. Just how long… when did you…?" He threw his hands up into the air over the multitude of unanswered questions now running through his mind, settling on the most simple and direct: "How did it happen?"

"I've known Severus my whole life. We grew up just a few miles from each other and his father worked for mine. We didn't always get along but we crossed paths again, shall we say, by chance, a whole year before I met you and we stayed in touch after that, finally admitting it was much more than friendship not quite two years later and we've been happily together ever since."

A strange smile lit Kingsley's face. "You know I have to say, in all honesty, I'm still thoroughly surprised over this news but I truly am happy for the both of you. Caterina, you couldn't be in any better hands. I always figured that whoever you settled for would not be worthy of you. Now I know that's not the case."

"I know, and thank you," she replied, finally giving him one of her usual charming smiles, starting to relax over her surprising shock of who he really was.

"Oh! I'd almost forgotten!" he boomed as he clapped his hands together. "So tell me, was it a boy or a girl? I'd love to meet the little tyke."

Caterina's sweet face fell slightly at that, remembering the exciting news she'd eagerly shared when she'd last encountered him. Severus motioned for Kingsley to have a seat, while he righted the overturned chair, enlarging it with a gentle wave of his hand and carefully nudging Caterina to sit down with him. He took her hand affectionately in his before beginning to answer the Minister's question.

"If I may point out, the answer to that is part of the _original_ reason as to why you're even here today."

"Right, right. Now I need to get that into my head that St. Mungo's patient case number seven eighty-two is actually Caterina. I'm so sorry about that. But now that I actually know and _understand_ a whole lot more of what is involved in this and going on, why don't you run through it from the start? Not to sound as though I didn't care before, but reading a shortened report on the whole matter really keeps things impersonal and detached, which is exactly why I did come over this matter when it was brought to my attention." Kingsley chuckled. "I, for the life of me. couldn't figure out why that Hufferton was being so accusatory over you and your so-called interference into his work. It didn't exactly sound like you and I had been intrigued to find out just who this patient was that you were so involved with helping. The report I'd received never mentioned names, only patient reference numbers, as I said."

Severus did most all of the talking, starting with his decision to have no contact with Caterina until he could safely return to her once all danger had passed. He told of the horrid attack on her, explained about the powerful protective spell that still had them stumped, and ended with all that had transpired between her admittance to St. Mungo's to the most current rise in developments, along with the important information recently passed along by Draco Malfoy. Severus also included how, for a long time now, they'd strongly suspected his alias of Porter Kingston to have been involved.

At first, Kingsley sat stunned over all that Caterina had been through and he deeply regretted not stopping in to check on her when the information had been passed on to him through his muggle connections that she'd fallen mysteriously ill and was in the hospital. But so much had been going on at that time in the Wizarding World, he would have been hard pressed to do such and get away with it.

Shaking his head, he struggled for a moment to find his words. "I don't know where to even begin but now I fully understand your actions and see no breach of policy with what happened. You can be damn sure, had I been in your shoes, I would have reacted the same way. And while I had no clue to what all this complaint from Hufferton entailed, that's partly why I came myself. I knew you didn't get your wand in a knot without reasonable cause."

The longer they all talked, the less strained things became, with Kingsley pledging his full support behind Severus in using just about whatever means necessary to uncover who had attacked Caterina and whether or not that wizard was already behind bars in Azkaban. He was also all for the idea of visiting Lucius Malfoy along with Severus, allowing him the privilege of trying to retrieve the rest of the information that way, if possible. Severus posed the idea of going first thing in the morning and the Minister was all for it.

They talked over the whole situation for a while and, when Kingsley rose to leave, he couldn't help but grin widely and point back and forth between Caterina and Severus. "I still, wow, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes…. Though I do have one question, had you not seen my picture whenever it was run in the Daily Prophet?"

"That would be Severus' doing, he's never liked leaving them lying around, worried that certain aspects of the magical world might still frighten me; plus, he always explains things much better anyway."

* * *

Later that evening, Severus stood near the couch, staring out toward the windows as the daylight faded completely from across the castle grounds. He was still holding the rather smug smirk that had been playing on his face ever since the meeting with Kingsley. Caterina slipped off her shoes and changed her clothes, slipping into one of Severus' favorite silk nightgowns. She then walked over to him, sliding her arms around his waist, smiling up at him with bright, happy eyes.

"You've been wearing that smile most of the day now, Darling. The others are going to think you're weakening if you keep it up," she teased him. "But you rather enjoyed finding out just who you bested, huh?"

"I'll admit, it was most enjoyable and a large ego boost. I'm not the sort of man who gets the beautiful girl when pitted against someone outgoing like Kingsley," he said, leaning forward to brush her lips softly with his.

Caterina sighed contentedly and placed a hand on the side of his neck as her other hand stroked his broad chest. "Well you got _this_ girl completely and without a doubt, and will never be rid of her, that's for sure."

"I do love the sound of that."

Pushing him back with one firm hand on his chest, he dropped onto the couch for the second time that day and Caterina followed, straddling his lap. Her hands immediately entangled themselves into his long black hair as he slid his strong hands up her smooth back and she kissed him deeply.

After a long minute of sweet passionate kissing, Severus pulled away and held her lovely face delicately between his hands, staring at her in awe. "So he never really- "

Caterina shushed him with a finger to his lips, "No Love, he _never_ had even a moment's chance against you. No one did. _Ever."_

Severus grinned wickedly. "I'm one lucky man."

"And I get you, so that makes me pretty lucky, too, you know."

They continued sharing tender kisses until Caterina snuggled up tightly against his warm chest and rested her head on his shoulder. They talked for a while about what all he and Kingsley would try and discover by fully delving into Lucius Malfoy's mind the next day. Severus felt relieved to have the full backing of the Ministry and that he would not have to resort to the disguise he'd used the last time. Narcissa could protest all she wanted now, but there would be no real interference or any possible danger with Kingsley along. And at last, they would finally know once and for all, who exactly performed the terrible attack on Caterina and took the lives of the two innocent people that had been with her that night. Severus looked forward to serving justice on the transgressor, since Bellatrix, the orchestrator of it all, was already dead herself.

After awhile, Severus summoned an old potions manual to check on a few ideas he'd been running over in his head. Caterina watched him adoringly, occasionally asking him a random question, to which he turned his attention completely to her and happily answered. When she grew silent, he glanced down, noticing that she'd fallen asleep, looking so wondrously like what she'd been described as earlier that day: a Sleeping Beauty. Laying the book aside, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to bed, crawling in beside her once he'd changed his own clothes. Once his Sleeping Beauty was resting back in his arms again, he drifted into a relaxed and peaceful sleep, with the smug smile solidly in place.

They were up early the next morning as Severus was to meet Kingsley over at Malfoy Manor at eight. Agreeing it best not to inform or alert the Malfoy family to their pending visit, they did not expect to be received in the warmest of fashions but they were entirely unprepared for what greeted their arrival. It was a greatly dismayed-looking Draco who answered the door.

Severus nodded in greeting, and spoke first, "We've come to see your father, Draco."

Draco closed his eyes for a moment and sadly shook his head at them. "I'm sorry, but you're too late. He passed away only two hours ago."

* * *

A/N: Well, now was that shocking and suspenseful, or what? Porter Kingston was really Kingsley Shacklebolt all along and he lost out to Severus! And, my oh my, Lucius is dead! Now what do you think of these latest developments? Thanks so much for reading and sharing your thoughts! Big chocolate hugs to those who added A Place for My Heart to their favs and alert lists! Thank you! :)

Oh, and now I can say I don't see the Kingsley from the movies as what he looks like in my mind at all... :D


	51. Expectations and Explanations

**Chapter 51**

**Expectations and Explanations**

The next few days were excruciatingly long. A formal investigation was opened by the Ministry into Lucius Malfoy's untimely and unexpected death as Severus began the careful testing of the new three-day brewed Potion Twenty-Seven. After many rounds of exhaustive tests between him, St. Mungo's and the Department of Mysteries, it came back with very positive and promising results. Despite that all, Severus still felt quite apprehensive over the thought of his Caterina being the first to actively test it not knowing what to expect, but she was most eager and willing to get it started, ready to be done with the whole healing process. And once she did, the new potion showed the start of its effectiveness within only a few short hours after Caterina took the first dose.

Sharply squeezing Severus' hand, Caterina swayed dangerously and gasped. His strong arms protectively caught and steadied her against himself as they were in the corridor near the headmaster's office. Watching as her eyes fluttered, Severus quickly checked her pulse and breathing, finding that both had slowed dramatically. Even though it had been expected, it had happened much sooner than they had anticipated.

Resting her head on his solid chest, Caterina closed her blue eyes. "I feel so… extremely… tired… and weak."

In one fluid motion, Severus scooped his Love up and cradled her in his arms as he headed back to their room. Her small hand snaked around his neck with her fingers entwined tightly into his long black hair. With her head nestled into his neck, he soon felt the sweet feeling of her soft, warm lips pressing into the exposed skin, giving him a lingering and thankful kiss.

"Always my wonderful Prince Charming… coming to my rescue…." she murmured.

By the time Severus reached their room and unwarded the door, Caterina had completely succumbed to a deep sleep. With tender care he laid her upon the bed, removed her shoes and changed her into a conservative nightgown of soft green silk. Then he contacted Healer Brock to consult with him over the manner of how it affected Caterina. Brock requested a blood sample and before long, he sent back word that, from the basic tests they'd preformed, the potion was already fast on its way to doing the job of correcting the blood disorder at an amazing pace. He also speculated that Caterina might remain in a rather subdued state for the next several days and they would continually monitor her blood every few hours for the rapidly progressive changes being made to it.

Just as before, Severus stayed by her side, trying to occupy his time with everything from the matter of Lucius to the upcoming school term. And while he wasn't pleased at the overall effects of the potion on Caterina, he was elated over the real progress it was finally making. During the first night, she roused briefly in a fit of screams, clutching at the bed sheets and shoving at Severus with all her might. Instantly he knew she was experiencing a nightmare and he did his best to calm her from the distressed state, after which she clung fast to him in a tight embrace.

Caterina slept most all of the next day and that, night again, the terrifying dreams returned, twice this time, each lasting longer than the previous. They disturbed Severus greatly as he remembered her being plagued by horrifying recurring dreams from years ago. He wondered if all the changes being brought on by the potion could be causing them, and another inquiry from Brock showed that it was entirely possible as there were all sorts of hormonal changes going on in her body. Finally, on the morning of the fourth day, Caterina awoke and stayed alert for more than several minutes at a time. Severus worked gently to coax her into eating as he made sure several of her favorite foods were readily available.

As she nibbled on a little of this and that, Severus proceeded to explain all that had happened. "The best news we just received about an hour ago from Brock."

"What's that?" she asked with a tiny hopeful smile on her lips.

"With all the blood work they've been complying on you from the past few days, everything indicates that the new potion is extremely effective - so much so, you should only need two more doses, at about two weeks apart each, until everything is corrected. We'll be through this before the school term starts."

He knew she would be elated to hear that but he certainly hadn't expected her to throw her arms around his neck and burst into tears over it. "Shhh, my Love. It's going to be fine. I'll never let anything happen to you."

"I know," she sobbed. "I just… I can't help myself. My emotions… the lack of control… I think… no, _I know_… it's much worse than before."

Severus pulled her into a tighter embrace and rocked her gently in his arms, trying to soothe away her tears. "It might be rough, but you've only got a little while longer to get through this. I'll be here the whole time."

Caterina nodded, wiping her eyes as the tears couldn't seem to stop from welling up. "You've done so much for me, Severus. Taken such wonderful care of me. I can't… I can't begin to express… how much I love you."

Severus' hand fondly tilted her head up to look deeply into her beautiful turquoise eyes which he hadn't been privy to much over the past few days. He'd missed seeing their glorious sparkle immensely. "I've enjoyed every moment taking care of you because I know how much I love you."

Shivering slightly at his deep, low baritone, Caterina sighed contentedly and soon drifted off to sleep once again. Severus brushed her lips with his and then he summoned Stella, asking her to retrieve additional paperwork from the headmaster's office. Over the years, he'd never held much of an opinion on house-elves but he had grown to appreciate Stella and all she'd done for Caterina since he'd brought her to Hogwarts. The little elf promptly returned with the requested papers and stood hovering a moment, blinking her large green eyes while looking concerned at the curled-up Caterina on the couch next to him. Severus watched Stella, amused, as he saw her little fingers twitch.

He nodded to her, "Go ahead, you may touch her."

Ever to slow and carefully, the elf reached out her small hand to touch Caterina's curls, cooing all the while as a few of them bounced lightly. "Mistress not well but better she be soon. You make potion that fix her proper."

"Yes, yes I did. And she will be completely recovered in a few weeks."

"Such good master you is," Stella bowed lowly, with a wide admiring smile, and vanished.

Caterina woke around noon. Severus informed her that Kingsley had contacted him for an impromptu meeting and that either Stella or Minerva could come sit with her while he was in the office. She appeared disgruntled at his recommendations but said nothing for a little while.

Finally she crawled completely into his lap, sliding her hands up and down his chest, wearing a seductive smile. "Make love to me, Severus. There is plenty of time before he arrives."

Looking greatly pained, he chose his words with caution. "You know we need to be extra careful right now and I'm not sure you're in the best condition for- "

Her hand met his cheek hard with as much force as she could muster, her eyes flashing angrily up at him. "How dare you deny me! You said you loved me!"

Knowing it was the potion causing her to react as such, he found it hard not to chuckle at her odd and overly heated display. Instead, Severus attempted to hold his face calm, gripping her tightly as she now fought to leave his lap. Laughing would only make things worse, though he did find her request hard to deny and it would not get any easier over the next few weeks.

"Caterina," he whispered richly, leaning forward to direct his firm words right into her ear while affectionately stroking her cheek. "Look at me, my sweet Love. Think about this. The potion _is _affecting you. You know I love you, no matter what, but- "

"Make them stop, please. _Please Severus_. Make them _all _stop," she pleaded, eyes filling with tears again.

Confused by her sudden pleas, it was like she'd switched topics on him without warning. "Make what stop?"

"The horrid dreams, they're coming more and more," she whispered, shaking fiercely in his arms.

Severus felt his heart sink. He'd not brought up her nightmares, hoping that by some slim miracle, she wasn't remembering them when she woke. It was clearly evident he'd been wrong in that assumption. Several times he'd come very close to administering a small dose of a Dreamless Sleep potion but resisted, unsure of how it could adversely interact with the other potion's work. He held her close and she cried quietly for a long while.

"I'm trying to figure them out and if there's anything I can do, magically or not, to disrupt them from hounding you in some fashion or another, I will try it," he said soothingly, trying to reassure her. "What do you remember from them?"

"Voices, screaming… faces of people I don't think I know… Pain… Being hurt and bleeding on the floor somewhere… And sometimes," she paused to give her left hand a wriggle as she eyed it curiously, a few tears spilling down her cheek.. "Sometimes, this wrist hurts horribly, like it's broken in two. It - it seems so real… in the dreams."

"That's the one Brock discovered to have been broken and repaired incorrectly by magic." Severus felt extremely disconcerted by her story. "Has it hurt or pained you while awake?"

She shook her head no, tears running down her cheeks. "Not in the slightest. And… but what is odder still- there's been a few times I felt like I was flying… by myself… through the air. It's truly terrifying each time."

Anxious and equally disturbed, Severus was at a loss in explaining the problem. They didn't appear to be just bad dreams; she was actually having possible flashbacks from events that she could not fully remember. It had always been an option but it was one he firmly refused to use on her. They had discussed it, though, several times and though Caterina was actually willing to let him try, he couldn't put her through that. But with all that had happened and the amount of time everything had been dragged out, with bits and pieces of the answers fitting like a giant, incomplete puzzle, he was beginning to seriously consider the use of Legilimency on her. If done with extreme care, he could take her back through her own shrouded and missing memories, though it would prove most painful to her to bring it all clearly to the surface of her mind. His patience had not run out completely; he could wait a while longer with continuing to search and seek out new clues before subjecting her to having her mind forcibly intruded upon.

The morning had been rough, but Caterina, being rather alert and awake at last, showered and dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans and teal cotton shirt. Severus was very pleased over this and, when the time came for him to meet with Kingsley, he decided it best to take her along. Her having a sudden emotional outburst was not something he wanted just anyone to deal with and he felt quite rightfully selfish in his time with her after not having her constant blissful presence by his side.

Upon Kingsley's arrival, Severus noticed at times that the Minister couldn't keep his eyes from wandering over to Caterina, once pleasantries had been exchanged. Despite the fact that he knew the wizard to be no threat at all to his precious Caterina, flares of red-hot anger surged within him at how he wistfully cast her glances. The anger was balanced with an equal amount of sheer conceited arrogance that kept his temper at bay and his mind partially focused on the Minister's proposals. He wanted to get the meeting over with. Caterina appeared not to observe the fleeting looks from Kingsley; instead, she fondly followed Severus' movements while moving somewhat restlessly around the room as she casually admired and absently tinkered with many of the strange artifacts and instruments left in place from Dumbledore's headmastership. There were moments when Severus caught himself completely taken with her adoring looks, tuning out Kingsley's deep droning voice.

"So what are your thoughts, Snape?"

Showing no visible sign of not having been doing anything other than intently listening, Severus pursed his lips into a thin line, desperately trying to grasp what the whole topic had been. The current proposal had gone entirely forgotten, when Caterina laid her hand on a small plain wood box made of dark stained cedar, softly stroking the rough finish, all the while winking at him and blowing him a seductive kiss just out of Kingsley's sight. Her other hand was lovingly clasping the oval locket that always resided around her smooth, flawless neck.

"Sounds like an acceptable plan," Severus answered carefully, struggling to remember several key bits now and keeping his face somber.

"I figured even you couldn't say no to it, and well, frankly if you did, I could of course, overrule you, but I preferred for it not to come down to that." Kinsley stood, clearing his throat. "While it is a last minute decision, I do believe holding a Remembrance Ceremony for our Wizarding families in conjunction with the start of term will be a great boost to everyone, not only allowing them to see that Hogwarts, once again, is restored and safe but for also letting us honor those who made the extreme sacrifices to return it to that state and ridding our world of the ultimate embodiment of evil."

He eyed Severus, who begrudgingly nodded his agreement again. "Excellent. We'll be working on an agenda for it and I'll get you and Minerva the tentative plans as soon as possible." He stood to leave. "Oh and I'd almost forgotten. The medical reports found only trace amounts of poisons within Lucius, certainly not nearly enough to sicken him, let alone kill him. I've allowed the Department of Mysteries to get involved, make sure nothing's been over-looked."

He bid them both good-bye and left, giving her one last nodding glance. Caterina startled sharply as Severus' arms slid around from behind her. She'd been staring after Kingsley and his departure with a strange, perplexed expression.

"What is it?" he asked, concerned.

"I'm not exactly sure, but-but it was like… like I had a weird flash just now at his good-bye. It… I couldn't hold the memory long enough to figure it out." Leaning back against his lean chest, she caressed his hands and tilted her head up sideways to look at him. "It is a good idea, the ceremony. What does it mean with Malfoy?"

She was shifting topics quite rapidly and disjointedly still at times, but Severus felt pleased that she thought the ceremony appropriate and the next thing he knew, Caterina was curiously inquiring into many of the peculiar trinkets of the room. He eagerly explained a few of the devices but before he finished his simple descriptions on several, she'd move on to another, and randomly asked about a few of the portraits. He watched attentively, though, keeping up with her and taking note as she kept coming back to rest a hand on the wood box from earlier.

"Hmm, I think I had a tiny box similar to this when I was very little which I believe I used it to keep my doll jewelry in. Funny how the most unusual items can trigger a memory. I'm sure my little box was much more elaborate… but I haven't given it thought in years."

Severus chuckled deeply, "I'm not sure which is more amusing. The fact that you had jewelry for your dolls or that you had a specified box to keep it all in."

"Oh hush," Caterina snapped, giving him a dark look but it quickly broke into a tiny grin, seeing the smile playing around his mouth. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so- "

He held his index finger to silence her sweet lips. "You don't need to apologize, Caterina."

* * *

Caterina's random mood swings and emotional outbursts continued over the next few days. Seeing her snap over little things became most amusing to him and he often fought to mask his grin. What did bother him were the few times Caterina shoved him away irritably, not wanting his closeness or his touch. Thankfully, those moments never lasted but a few minutes and, every evening, she always craved his presence, wrapped tightly around her as though he alone would shield and protect her from everything wrong and harmful in the world.

With all that had been happening in the past few weeks, Severus was suddenly struck with an idea after Healer Brock suggested that the degree of her annoyance and uneasiness and even the nightmares might possibly be reduced if she were exposed to less ongoing stimuli. This would especially ring true if the next dose entangled her emotions so drastically, bringing them to a further fragile and sensitive state. The magical castle with its varied residents certainly proved a wealth of constant commotion and, even though she thoroughly enjoyed it, the newness and magnitude of it all still overwhelmed her.

Severus took his concerns and his plan to Minerva, bracing himself for a fierce argument, but was shocked to discover her total agreement and encouragement. He then called Stella, giving her several detailed instructions to follow. Once all the necessary provisions had been completed, Severus whisked Caterina away from Hogwarts, back to the quaint, peaceful seaside cottage she loved so dearly. He'd arranged for the Floo Network to connect the cottage to Hogwarts and St. Mungo's. Minerva oversaw forwarding any and all relevant news and information to him daily and Stella came along, more than overjoyed to assist in any way.

It was an absolute delight to see how quickly Caterina finally fell into a more stable and harmonious balance with her conflicting and surging emotions. The nightmares did not disappear but their severity lessened There were still moments of trivial outbursts, just as before, but she contained them faster and found many ways to busy herself around the cottage while he worked on school and ministry related issues, including the mystery of Lucius.

Soon after their arrival, Caterina was entirely dismayed to discover that Stella held no interest in the small spare room she'd been given for her accommodations. Instead the little house-elf bounced and rocked with exuberance over her own claiming of a tiny space under an empty shelf in the gardening shed. After much explanation, Severus eventually made her understand that this was the widely accepted practice and common way of house-elves.

Severus was surprised to find himself falling into a rare contented and relaxed state in such a short amount of time, truly happy being back there with his beloved. They spent hours, secure in each other's arms, whether it was dreamily star-gazing under the ancient Holme oak or in talking endlessly while lounging on the couch together.

Another issue that prompted a frenzied panic from Caterina came from her realization that her charity's annual benefit concert was only two days away. Somehow the last weekend of July had snuck up on them. Its planning had long been in the capable hands of someone else but she usually made a small, quiet appearance each year, excepting the one previous.

Severus abated her distress, knowing she wanted to shy away from much contact from others, given her current mood swings. "Caterina, there's no need to fret over it. The one and only time I attended, I believed I was ridiculously foolish in daring to dream of you. Now I'd be honored to proudly escort you there and you won't have to worry about any of it." He leaned closer, cupping her chin with a deadly seriously expression. "If anyone bothers you in the least, I'll make them dearly sorry for it."

Caterina laughed merrily while spinning the delicate bracelet he'd given her around her right hand. "I just need to find the perfect gown. What color would you like me to wear?"

Without hesitation, Severus gently touched a finger just below her eye. "One that matches these splendid eyes I adore so completely."

Being wholly occupied with her clothing dilemma, she lit into solving the problem while Severus pondered the sudden awareness that he'd freely and eagerly offered to take his Love out for an evening with none of what should have been his customary feelings of extreme aversion to such event. In fact he was actually finding himself looking forward to it, knowing his beautiful Caterina would be at his side. It was most unusual, the ways that she had broken through his solid, icy exterior, though he also vehemently acknowledged he would never make such a willing offer and exception for anyone ever but her.

It should not have been a surprise to him by now, but Caterina had masterfully taken care of her wardrobe within several hours, by the arrival of an express delivery, as well as the arrival of an elderly seamstress. What those without magic lacked, could certainly be made up for by money, at times. Severus had been more than willing to aid Caterina but he knew she took pleasure in doing things her own way and he did not begin to pretend to know the first thing about attaining any kind of woman's clothing, magically or not. The thought dawned on him that he should probably make some inquires into such ways for future reference though.

Caterina played elusive and mysterious when he asked to see a glimpse of the dress. Instead, she informed him he'd have to wait patiently, and teasingly kissed his cheek, shutting him out of the bedroom while the seamstress wove her own brand of magic.

Rolling over serenely in his strong arms later that night in bed, Caterina stared contemplatively into his face before taking a deep breath and stating what had been in the back of her mind for a week or so. "Severus, I think it's time to tell Jamison the truth. If… if that's acceptable with all those secrecy laws you explained to me."

He knew it had been coming and that it would be unavoidable in the end. "Yes, it's acceptable, and there are spells that, as you are aware, will render an informed person unable to discuss what he knows with others."

"Are you planning to use them on Jamison?"

Her question hadn't been asked in a fearful tone, yet he knew her to be worried over it to some degree. "Only if he reacts quite negatively to learning the truth."

Caterina ran her fingers through her curls. "I've been trying to gauge his reaction to it for ages now, but I really can't decide what he'll do or say."

"When would you like to talk with him?" Severus asked.

"Tomorrow night after the concert will be as good a time as any. We can go to the London flat afterwards and talk in private."

Caterina lay lost in thought for a while, stroking a hand repeatedly through Severus' hair. Giving a sigh, she giggled and kissed the tip of his nose.

"What is it?"

"I'm trying to envision the look he'll have on his face over seeing you perform magic."

Severus smirked. He could really enjoy blowing Jamison's mind entirely; after all, he still felt as though he owed him a bit of payback for the broken nose but he would rein that idea in for Caterina's sake. Pulling her tight against his body, his long fingers caressed her silky smooth back as she drifted off to sleep, having the first nightmare free night in two weeks.

Severus dressed smartly in one of his best sets of black trousers and long button-down coat for the evening out. Then he sat tentatively on the edge of the bed and waited. Meanwhile, Caterina had banished herself to the bathroom, sight unseen for a long hour, forcing him to use extreme control in not opening the door or spying on her magically.

After what seemed a painfully long eternity, she slowly opened the door and announced her readied presence with a soft cough. "My, my don't you look every bit like my handsome Prince, all dressed in striking black."

Standing and looking her over, his breath caught sharply in his throat. Caterina's gown color was identical to the rich, brilliant turquoise of her eyes. Woven out of the softest, finest silk money could buy, the strapless gown fit enticingly snug around her lovely bust, hugging her tight until meeting the curve of her hips, where it flared lightly and hung loosely down to the floor with a small, sweeping train in the back. It would have been gorgeous enough on her without any additional details but around the bodice and flowing down around most of the silk, with the exception of a wide split on the left, was the most delicate white, floral lace with real pearls sewn onto the flowers. Her long, spiral curls were swept up and held in place around her head with pearl embellished hairpins while several long wisps of curls hung down framing her face perfectly. Giving a tiny curtsey, Caterina gave a slow graceful turn, showing off the open back of the stunning dress.

Severus strode forward and took her into his waiting arms, and, in leaning forward to kiss her temptingly exposed neck, he caught a whiff of her delicious scent - the one that always hypnotized him. One thought and one thought alone, was firmly cemented in his head from that moment on.

"I'm sorry to say we're going to miss part of the concert, if not all of it," he started in all seriousness.

Shocked, she looked up at him for an explanation. "Why?"

"Because I'm going to spend the majority of the night making passionate love to you."

Caterina blushed charmingly and pulled his head down for a long, heated kiss before speaking again. "So I take it you fancy the gown?"

"You could wear nothing and I'd fancy you just the same but yes, this gown is quite splendid with you inside it." Staring wantonly down at the swell of her breasts and their generous cleavage, he pulled her flush with his body, allowing her to feel just how much he enjoyed the sight of her, pressing hard against her torso.

Watching her closely, he could see the fog of lust start to cloud around her own thoughts. Knowing they did not want to take any risks with her still taking the potion, no matter what precautions were taken, he wished he'd done a better job at restraining his outright desire for her. He nuzzled his lips along the alluring curve of her neck a moment longer before pulling himself away with great effort. Caterina shuddered, giving a breathless pant. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead on his chest for a minute.

When she tilted her head back up to look into his solid black ones, he noticed an unspoken hesitation of sorts. "What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing, it's nothing…." She paused, looking lost for words. "I-I was just wondering if… if my mother's pearls would look nice with this gown?"

He realized her dilemma at once and, with the flick of his wrist, he'd summoned the pearls. With great care he slipped the locket off over her head and fastened the pearl necklace in its place and gently placed the pearl earrings into her ears. Then she held up her right arm and he did the same with the pearl bracelet, kissing the back of her hand.

Stepping back only a step, he appreciatively drank in her beauty. "Perfect… as always."

Glancing at the time, Severus took her hand in his. With a tender expression, he lovingly laid the locket across her pillow on the bed and then he locked an arm protectively around her. Leaning down to softly kiss her lips, he apparated them away to a tucked away and hidden corner within the concert hall. After a short walk, they found Jamison waiting just where they had planned.

"Cat, dearest! You look simply divine, but that's no surprise." Jamison cried, pulled her into a bear hug, as he nodded toward Severus. "Now let me see this marvelous ring I've heard all about."

Once Caterina showed off the ring, she stepped back to Severus' side as the two men shook hands, and Jamison congratulated them both once again on their engagement. It was an enjoyable evening for all, with Severus especially comparing the night with that of his only other attendance, reveling in his abundant fortune yet again of living through the war and having someone as special as Caterina to call his own. Caterina felt complete bliss in knowing now that everything had fallen perfectly into place between her and Severus after those first few tense meetings. At the close of the concert, Jamison led them through a series of backstage doors, to the waiting limo that would carry them to the flat.

"Now I must say I'm utterly curious as to what this is all about. You sounded so elusive on the phone when you stated that you wanted to discuss some things." Jamison's eyes roamed from Cat to Severus, trying to gain a feel for what it could all be about.

"I think you better sit down first, it's a bit of a shocker, really," Caterina offered helpfully.

"Christ, you haven't gotten yourselves involved into some kind of trouble have you?" he asked with a look of trepidation.

"Not at all, ah… it's just, that well," Caterina took a deep breath. "It's time you know the truth about Severus."

Jamison raised a concerned brow and frowned slightly. "Which is?"

"He's actually a wizard."

Jamison threw back his hand and let out a billowing laugh. "Cat, that's a good one but, honestly, what's this all- Ahhhh!"

Caterina glanced sideways at the mischievous gleam in Severus' eye as Jamison floated off the couch, right up to the ceiling. Severus lazily waved his fingers when Jamison's head bumped and he fell back down to the couch, which suddenly turned into a donkey, catching him upon his back. If Jamison's eyes could have opened any wider, she was sure, they'd roll right out of his head. Almost fearful, he reached out a finger to poke the donkey and was rewarded with a loud indignant bray. Jamison opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again and then clamped it shut and rubbed his eyes. When he opened them once more, he found himself seated back upon the couch.

Never in her life had she seen Jamison so shocked and at a complete loss for words. Caterina placed a hand on Severus' wrist and then stepped over to sit by Jamison. His wide eyes danced back and forth between her and Severus.

Finally after a few terse minutes, he coughed and cleared his throat, five times in a row. "Wiz- wizard? Like real ma-magic? No… no illusions? No tricks? Real?"

Severus nodded and removed his wand. Giving it a flourish, colorful bursts of light and sparks zoned around the room. Then as they all came together, meeting in front of the couch, there was a bright flash and a charming crimson rose grew up, appearing where the colorful sparks had died down and dissolved. It floated gently into Caterina's hand when she grasped for it. She drew in its sweet aroma, before offering it to Jamison for close inspection.

He took it, quite unsure of what to think still. "I don't… No idea what to say."

Caterina laid a comforting hand over his. "You don't need to say anything. Just listen as it will take a long while to wrap your mind around this all and let it all sink in."

"Had you always known, about him, about this?" asked Jamison, still holding a look of shock.

"No, not until after I was kidnapped," Caterina said softly. "Jamison, there really had been someone who helped me out of that building and it was Severus' mother. I found out their secret after that."

Jamison stared at her, musing outloud in realization, "So… that fully explains the tattoo and her name."

She nodded. With that out, Caterina and Severus spent a long while carefully explaining past events related to her returning the locket to Severus at his mother's bidding and how that brought them together in the end. Until they knew what his reaction to it all would be, Severus felt it best not to go into detail about the entire truth of what had truly happened to Caterina and why he'd been strangely absent from her side for nearly a year. It proved to be a long and eventful night and, after being shown a variety of magical displays that would leave no doubt in Jamison's mind, he was slowly coming around, getting past the initial shock of it all.

"Well?" asked Caterina finally.

"I'd have to say this strangely explains a few things I'd never fully processed over you and your actions." But Jamison was also an intelligent man and he could read between the lines. "There's things you're leaving out, _not_ telling me."

"Yes, there are some things," Caterina nodded. "Because there's still so much to understand. It's best to take it slow, give it all time to sink in."

"Your attack at the mansion!" Jamison hissed angrily, jumping to his feet with his eyes flashing to Severus.

Severus stood to his full height, not about to be intimidated by anyone, let alone Jamison. "Yes, it took us a long while to track down the truth of it all, but we now know with certainty it was not random violence but inflicted by another wizard."

Taking Caterina's hand, Jamison gripped it tightly. "_How_ could you let that happen to her?"

"Jamison, Severus took _absolutely_ every precaution possible to keep that from ever happening but it still wasn't enough." Caterina began to explain, as she patted and squeezed his hand reassuringly. There's a whole lot more to the story that we'll fill you in on but the important thing is that I'm fine now and Severus is well on his way to uncovering those behind it all. Let the rest sink in and we'll explain the rest in time."

He turned to face her, taking in her tired eyes, and he reached up tenderly to brush a stray curl away. "You're not fully recovered yet, are you? You've also been leaving me in the dark over your condition."

Severus stepped forward. "Yes, we have, because we had little to go on for a long while. Caterina did have a relapse a few weeks ago, at which time she started on a modified version of correct medicine. Everything happened so quickly, there wasn't really time to contact you over it all. It wasn't done intentionally, I assure you."

They all talked awhile longer, allowing a dumbfounded Jamison to ask all the questions he wanted until Severus determined that Caterina was struggling too hard to stay awake. He insisted it was time to get her back home. They arranged a time to meet again the following week, since Caterina would be taking her next dose of the new potion in the morning. Before leaving, Severus briefly explained that he'd cast a temporary spell, forbidding Jamison to speak of his new knowledge with anyone else.

Caterina hugged Jamison good-bye. "I know it's so much to take in, but after some time it will begin to make sense and you'll continue to be amazed over it all, as well as develop many, many more questions."

"Oh, I have no doubt about that." Jamison chuckled, watching eagerly as they soon disappeared from his presence.

A wizard, who would have ever guessed it? He shook his head once more and gave a low whistle, staring at the spot they vanished from as he dropped back down onto the couch in wide shock, still trying to fathom the news, along with all he'd witnessed.

* * *

A/N: Ahh... poor Caterina and her emotional battles, but despite the side-effects, the potion is actually working. And Jamison knows about magic and wizards! Giant candy kisses and hugs to all my reviewers for sharing your thoughts and encouragement! Thanks for reading and until next time... :)


	52. Finding Truth in Darkness

**Chapter 52**

**Finding Truth in Darkness**

The cold, steel eyes bored into hers as agonizing pain shot through every last inch of her body. Somehow, through it all, the misty haze had been lifted from around her mind and Caterina knew it was a nightmare she was in. Yet not just any nightmare; she was reliving the attack. Desperately struggling, she tried to focus on the features of the man inflicting the pain but there were dark shadows cast upon his face making it impossible to see him clearly. And despite the fact that she knew it was not real, she could not refrain from lashing out with her hands, making every attempt to fight back. Once more, pain from her mind cut into her like thousands of fire-hot knives upon her skin. It caused her to scream out terrifyingly and, in the dream, she clenched her eyes, shutting out all further sight.

Firm hands gripped her shoulders while she tried her best to wrestle free. She began to focus on the voice calling her name, allowing the terror within her mind to seep back into the darkness. The voice was deep and silky and she knew it. It was calm and comforting, guiding her back to a safe haven. Caterina quit fighting and knew now it was her Severus. Slowly she relaxed and the extreme pent-up tension eased out of her muscles. Her eyes fluttered open, finding Severus' dark eyes searching her face with care and concern.

"You're safe, Caterina. I have you and nothing will ever hurt you again," he whispered, his arms holding her tenderly as she shook with fright.

Her scared blue eyes darted around the room, finding that they were in bed and it was close to daybreak. She had a sudden need to touch Severus, to reassure herself of everything he'd said. Reaching out with both hands, Caterina gently grasped his cheeks and stared into his black eyes. There was something wrong with his face, though, and one of her hands met with a sticky wetness. Pulling her hand away for closer inspection, she found it was thick and dark-colored. _Blood_. She gasped at seeing a long cut running down his left cheek and on either side of it were several long scratches.

"Severus! I did that, didn't I?" Caterina gasped in a shocked voice, looking down at her nails and realizing how it had happened.

Before he even answered, she began to cry. "This has got to _stop_, Severus, I don't know how much more of it I can take. I can't keep abusing you in my sleep over it all. And just where did you get all this patience from, anyways?"

Reaching for his wand, he quickly healed the small cut from her hands that had unknowingly lashed out at him. He'd honestly not even realized it was bleeding until she'd pointed it out, as he'd been far more concerned at waking and calming her yet again. The second potion dose succeeded in affecting her the same as the first had, continuing the extreme weakness and exhaustion, causing her to sleep much of the first few days. On the up side, further blood tests still showed significant improvement in her condition, now to the point that the imbalance was only mild. But it had, in turn, also continued to intensify her ongoing nightmares in a greater magnitude.

Wiping her distraught tears away, he gently positioned her head against his shoulder and stared down into her vivid blue eyes as the first few hints of golden morning light flowed in through the windows. "It came from being without you. Without you for far too long, with the even worse thought of thinking I was going to lose you. And trust me when I say that my patience begins and ends with _you_ alone." He paused to kiss and nuzzle against her forehead. "I've been researching several different… ideas, in regards to your nightmares, discussing it with Brock and a few other Healers."

"And?" she whispered up to him, holding a hopeful look.

"And, it's evident that some of your memories are starting to resurface, with a little more time - "

Caterina cut him off. "Yes, they are, but they don't all fit up together. I can't separate the difference between what really happened and what my mind might just be creating as filler. How do we get anywhere like that?"

"It will sort itself out in _time_."

"No Severus, I don't believe that it will, at least not all of it. I think you need to stop trying to be so gentlemanly and just delve into my mind." With that said, she rolled over in a huff, trying to push the recent and disturbing dream images out of her thoughts.

They rarely argued, but if they did, this was the topic that brought it on. Caterina honestly didn't understand where he'd obtained such extraordinary patience, despite his claims. It was so against his general nature and demeanor, adding onto that the simple fact that she'd certainly had more than enough of it all, he was having to be patient for the _both_ of them. She couldn't help but love him all the more for it. Admittedly, with the potion, her nerves were already on edge due to her utterly frayed emotions. There were moments Caterina felt so hopeless, as if everything was just going to unravel all around her, leaving her with only bits and pieces of a confused image of her former self. And other times, she questioned if she'd ever feel normal again and she wondered what she was doing, trying to fit into Severus' magical world. Caterina did her very best not to complain or voice her worries and concerns. Her darling Severus was being a complete saint in taking care of her and supporting her through it, on top of all that he still had to do in relation to Hogwarts and the Ministry.

Immediately Caterina felt ashamed for having turned her back on her Severus, for he had also been taking the extreme brunt of her mood swings. He did not deserve that kind of treatment from her at all, at least not when she was in control of her emotions. With a tired sigh and feeling angry at herself, she slowly rolled back around to face him, placing her small hands against his bare chest and stretching up to kiss his lips. His closed eyes flew open and his hold tightened firmly around her waist.

"I am sorry, Darling," she whispered.

Severus did not reply but his dark penetrating eyes said all that he wanted to convey. Drawing his long fingers in a gentle sweeping motion from her shoulder to her neck, he tilted her chin up and captured her lips with his. His hand slid down along her waist, gripping hold of her sweet round bottom under her blue satin chemise as he pulled her on top of himself. Their kiss deepened dramatically as his mouth took complete possession of hers. Caterina felt his growing need and slipped her hands up into his hair as she settled herself enticingly against his body, relishing in the engulfing warmth it gave her. After a bit, she pushed herself up on her elbows and carefully rested them on his chest, staring down at him in total adoration.

Severus ruffled a hand through her curls and smirked at her. "What are you thinking?"

"About the very first time you kissed me like that, so perfectly."

"It was rather perfect, wasn't it?" he said with a smug, mischievous grin.

Caterina eased her arms down, nodding at him in full agreement before meeting his lips once more. "Yes, and I expect them to always continue."

"Without a doubt, they most certainly will."

Smiling happily but giving a little yawn, she wriggled around, until at last she was comfortable and just the way she wanted to be in his arms. Then she soon fell asleep, much to Severus' disappointment, just as he was wanting to kiss her perfectly, and everywhere. It appeared to be a peaceful sleep and he would never begrudge her that with all she'd been through because of the potion. However, he was starting to mentally count down just how much longer she'd be on the potion and feeling the extreme affects of it. It had certainly put a damper on their more intimate endeavors, and _that_ he did not enjoy.

He lay there, content to at least be holding her and was determined not to disturb her unless it was absolutely necessary. He summoned several books that he'd been going through and charmed them to hover in front of him. None of them served to distract him from the issue growing in the back of his mind and that was of Caterina's clouded memories and terrifying nightmares. It was a struggle at times not to give in and do as she begged; he knew he could easily do what she asked, but part of him still feared the outcome of doing so and how it would adversely affect her. Another small part of him was hesitant because he knew the moment he saw what torture she'd been subjected to, he'd probably go outright insane with anger, hell-bent on immediate revenge and he did not necessarily want Caterina to see him in such a state. Even if the attacker was already dead or in Azkaban. But the nightmares had become too much for her, and he knew he'd need to make a decision very soon, especially now that Lucius was not in the picture any longer for obtaining more information.

When Caterina woke for the second time that morning, she felt more alert and awake. Severus gently reminded her that Jamison would be visiting that day to further discuss the revelations they'd left him with the week previous. Severus tried to gauge the mood she might be in while watching as she slowly sat up, blinking her eyes. Caterina sat quietly, staring out through the window for a long while, with Severus silently deciding she looked to be in a serious mood, the kind where she was slightly on edge and easily angered.

Tenderly, he reached over and stroked a few stands of her curls over her bare shoulder which caused her to lean back against his chest. "I'm sorry I fell asleep on you earlier."

Placing a trail of feather soft kisses along her shoulder and up her inviting neck to her earlobe, he whispered huskily, "Me too, but at least it was… _on_ me."

She shuddered at the warmth of his breath tickling along the sensitive patch of skin on her neck, just below her ear. Turning her body to face him completely, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her chest tight against him. Severus glanced down at the tops of her breasts spilling out of her nightie and let out a low growl. Pulling back slightly, he dipped his head down to kiss them both.

"You know, I could make Jamison 'forget' to come this afternoon," he offered silkily with a cocked brow.

"Umhmm," was all Caterina could manage as his tongue and lips accomplished the most delightful things, starting at her earlobe and working their way back down to her breasts. Severus knew better than to start something like this but he just couldn't resist, or, rather, had been resisting for too long. And just when he was about to lay her back down on the pillows, there came a shrill shriek and annoying tapping at one of the bedroom windows.

Caterina jolted alert as he cursed loudly, "What the bloody hell?"

Whirling his head around, his black eyes bored into those of a large screeching owl. An old memory flashed through his mind, that of another owl who had startled him in bed, once upon a time. That bird paid a dear price that night but he could never do such in front of Caterina. Instead, with an angry wave of his wand, the window slid open, allowing the bird entrance to deliver its message.

Once freed of its note, the owl was gone as quickly as it had come. Severus contemplated not reading it and continuing his ministrations on Caterina, but, flipping it over, he caught sight of the Minister of Magic's seal. Letting out a disgusted snarl over Kingsley's unwanted intrusion, he closed his eyes for a moment.

"Isn't that the Ministry's seal? It could be important, go ahead Love," she told him in a gentle voice, giving his hand an understanding squeeze.

If nothing else, at least she was in a far better mood than he'd originally guessed. "It's from Kingsley, in fact."

"Oh well, in that case, promise me you'll get him back later for the unwelcomed interruption," Caterina suggested deviantly, with a saucy smile, as she sat up.

Severus chuckled, pulled her into his lap, kissed her cheek and tapped the message. It unsealed and unfolded itself in his open palm. She turned, watching his face as he read through it.

"Well, that seems to have ruled out every last idea we could come up with and leaves us back at the beginning, almost," he said with a shake of his head. "The Ministry has officially declared the body to be Lucius Malfoy's, though they cannot come up with any real cause as to how or what killed him."

"Did you suspect it to not be the real him?"

"He's always had a large bag of tricks, through the years, that served him well. I requested they do a comparison on his remains with what they had from him during his stint in Azkaban."

"You mean like a DNA test?"

Severus looked at her while his mind searched. "Yes, from what I know of that muggle method, it's similar but much more accurate and not easily fooled."

He studied her face. "With him gone, it very well may come down to me seeking the answers… from your own mind."

Slowly she nodded her head, reaching up to stroke his cheek. "Severus, I've already assured you that I'm ok with that. I trust you, more than anyone else. _Ever_. I know you won't hurt me and I know you're worried it will make things worse on me, but I don't believe that it will. It'll be a major relief just to get it all behind us and move on."

"You're probably right, you usually are." He rested his forehead on hers. "Just don't tell anyone that I _actually_ admitted that though. It would surely taint my image at Hogwarts and elsewhere," he whispered ruefully.

Caterina smacked his arm and laughed seductively. "I won't Darling, but my silence comes at a very high price."

"Caterina, you should know I'd willingly pay any price to have you, _any_ price at all."

Caterina felt quite relieved over their visit with Jamison. It took a bit of a burden off her mind with him now knowing everything. Jamison really was all she had left in the way of any real family and so it was important for him to be aware of the whole truth. He deserved that much as he'd taken the place of her father in so many ways.

He still seemed to be in a sort of shock over it all, especially the whole magical part, but he handled everything thrown at him very well and asked endless questions, which Severus was only too pleased to answer, by magic whenever possible.

Surprisingly Severus laid it all out, explaining what had happened in the recent Wizarding War and how he'd tried his utmost to keep Caterina hidden and protected through it all. He also explained in detail what had really transpired to land Caterina in such a state after the attack, and how it, including the relapse, was remedied. Jamison was somewhat relieved and shocked again to find out the whole truth surrounding King and how they were still pursuing the real culprit.

"Wow, I'm just speechless over it all. Just when I thought I kind of had my head wrapped around what you told me last week…." Jamison ran a hand through his peppered brown hair. "And Severus, I guess I owe you an apology as I'd written you off as having deserted her, hence the extreme anger I had at you, that day you showed up at the hospital."

Severus nodded, feeling awkward over discussing the events from that day. "I would never desert Caterina, _never_. Though I understand why you felt such. Finding her that way made me believe I _had_ deserted her."

Just before Jamison left, Caterina caught his hand, clasping it between hers as she peered up at him. "Jamison, it would mean the world to me if you gave me away on our wedding day."

His hazel eyes stared down at her for a long moment and Caterina caught sight of them actually watering up. Taking her face in his hands he kissed her forehead. "Caterina, my dearest, it would mean the world to _me_ to be the one to give you away at your wedding." Then Jamison held her in a long embrace.

When the door shut behind him, Caterina turned to discover a most peculiar look on Severus' face. She knew he wasn't surprised at her asking Jamison to escort her down the aisle, as she'd decided that long ago.

"What's that look for?"

"Something else that I probably should not admit to you," he replied in a sheepish voice.

"And what's that?"

"Would you believe there was a time I was positive you and Jamison were… were together?"

"As… as lovers?" Caterina threw back her head and laughed. "Are you serious?"

"Absolutely," he informed her dryly.

"And if I know you, I suppose you did your homework to find out the truth, didn't you?" Caterina asked, slipping into his arms. "I would expect nothing less from you, you know."

"Most definitely and most thoroughly, and in ways you could never guess," he said proudly.

They spent several more peaceful days, enjoying their time at the cottage, though the nights were keeping them both a bit on edge with her continued nightmares. Caterina tried her best to explain them to Severus but he realized she was right. Parts of them jumped from one event to another that seemed to have no correlation or explanation. Parts of them appeared to almost be made up from her mind, trying to bridge together the strange gaps in the oddest of fashions. She could still give no description of the attacker but she was now well aware of the fact he'd carried a wand and not a gun, as she'd assumed for a long while. But the night that he found her out of bed, trying to hide in the closet in her sleep, was when it all became way too much for him as well.

Early the next morning, he was pacing around the room as Caterina slept serenely, going over all the memory spells and detailed uses of Legilimency that he knew of. He'd spent a long while researching the way he wanted to approach the issue if need be, as he refused to be caught unprepared. He'd consulted with Dumbledore and pilfered all the former headmaster's ancient and rare books over the matter when they'd come to the cottage.

It almost scared him, the trust she held in him, to so willingly allow him access to her mind. Especially after seeing him use the skill twice, in a not so nice and gentle of a manner, on Narcissa and Draco Malfoy, respectively. He would not, could not be forceful with her as that caused a harsh pain of sorts in the mind. Instead he'd have to use the approach of guiding her through her memories and would watch them unfold like a bystander, as if watching a memory in a pensieve. If she knew which memories to give, he'd extract them and do such, but they'd be only the shadows of the pieces her mind held as torturous bait for the time being.

When she woke, they discussed everything in much detail. Severus tried to explain every aspect of what the experience would be like for her to fully prepare her. Finally she stopped him.

"Severus, couldn't you sort of test it out first? A trial run, like… like maybe going into a complete memory of something with me?"

Severus contemplated her suggestion for a minute. "That's not a bad idea? What shall it be? Pick something positive."

"How- How about, our first kiss."

"That should do nicely."

They sat on the couch, close together and facing each other. Severus held one hand possessively against her cheek while his other hand held his wand. "If the sensation becomes overwhelming, you can let me know by pulling away from me and I'll break the connection immediately. Now, in your mind, go back to that day at the park and try to visualize the scene in your head."

Caterina closed her eyes, her mind easily pulling up the surroundings of that wondrous day. She nodded when she was ready and Severus quietly muttered the incantation to enter her mind, proceeding with great caution and ease.

_Closing his own eyes, he found himself to be standing in the nature park with snow swirling all around. Looking down, he found himself standing along the wooded path and just a few feet ahead, stood a copy of him gently pulling Caterina into his arms for that first glorious kiss. He couldn't help but smile and, sensing her intensely strong feelings from that moment, he realized he'd caught just a fraction of the depth of her feelings for him. He watched spellbound for a long moment over its strength and impassioned fervor._

"You're doing beautifully, Caterina," he whispered.

Turning her head against the palm of his hand, she pressed her lips into it, kissing it.

"I'd like you to try pulling up another memory, whatever you want," he gently coaxed.

_The images of their kissing embrace in the snow covered woods faded and, after a moment, he found himself standing in her room at Clarkstone Mansion. Darkness now surrounded him as it was obviously nighttime. Scanning the room for a moment through the little light that there was, he watched himself as he held Caterina in her bed, comforting her that night so long ago when he'd stayed with her. The night she'd woken up screaming. Again he caught another strong feeling from her; this time it was one of complete safety and protection at being held in his arms. He couldn't believe he of all people was able to evoke such feelings in anyone._

Gently, he broke the spell and gripped her chin, tilting her face to look up at him. "That was certainly a strange and odd sensation but I didn't feel threatened or harmed by it. It was… it was, like you were really there inside my mind, but it's hard to explain the feeling."

He simply nodded. "I understand it. Thank you for sharing those with me."

"You could sense my feelings and emotions through them?" she asked curiously.

"Yes. It was quite intense for several moments, the way you feel… for me. I truly was a fool to have pushed you away for so long."

Caterina just smiled contentedly up at him.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"Positive, Severus, let's get it over with." Caterina answered with a strongly determined expression. "I want to face this unknown demon and move past it once and for all."

"Go back to what you clearly remember happening before the attack, arriving with Jamison and meeting with the others."

_She nodded, eyes closed again when she was ready and he entered her mind just as before, watching with great interest as the events unfolded, leading them into the mansion. He was ready, waiting to coax out the memories that had slipped away to the back of her mind. Despite knowing that he could offer no assistance or intervene in any way, he stayed right by the image of Caterina, following her every move. When she went to flip on the lights, the memory began to dim but he gently tugged at it with his own mind._

Caterina physically gasped at the strange melding she could feel from his actions.

Holding his wand ready to break the connection if need be, he quickly inquired, "Are you alright? Did that pain you in any way?"

"No-no. It was just a weirdest feeling, your presence in my mind and pulling out the memory."

_Back in her mind, he watched with a growing dread. As the light switches were flipped up, nothing happened but he heard a quiet voice utter words as two jets of flashing green light hit the two unfortunate innocents in succession, the Killing Curse taking them out instantly. A tall figure loomed out of the shadows, and Severus realized the attacker had been disillusioned, standing next to Caterina the whole time. The waves of fear from Caterina hit him hard and the moment the man who'd dared to lay hands on his sweet Love spoke, Severus knew him. He watched in horror as the greatest feeling of sheer unadulterated, seething anger and rage bubbled inside Severus. He forced himself to contain it, while continuing to watch the horrendous events unfold. Every so often the images dimmed and Severus found, as he gently prodded the memories, they were starting to surface more of their own accord and in order finally. The despicable scum began speaking, explaining things, and Severus listened, his senses on full alert._

_"I must say, I'm quite delighted and taken aback with your beauty." His tone was salacious and disgusting sounding. "And it appears like the rest of you is also very delightful as well. Should prove for an agreeable evening after all. Who on earth would have thought it possible? I might just have to thank him for this."_

_"Get your filthy hands off me!" Caterina punched him but it did no good. It only encouraged him on._

_"Oh goody, you're a fighter. I like a girl with a little spunk now and again."_

_Severus watched in terror as the wizard before him collected her neck in a vice-like choke. He slammed her up against the hallway wall with such force, and then he used a brief bout of the Cruciatus Curse on her. Caterina felt her head, obviously expecting blood from the force of the pain he'd directed at her. He slapped her hard across the face before ripping the fabric of her clothes, pressing his wand unforgivingly into the smooth skin around her ribs._

_"Please! Please don't! Please! I'll give you anythin-" Caterina pleaded, in between gasping for air._

_His hand almost choked her in its tight hold again. "Oh no. There's nothing you can give me that I desire, other than this sweet, sweet revenge," he said in a deadly, smooth and low voice that was almost directly against her ear. "That alone is all I'm after. It's a pity that you clearly can't even begin to fathom what and who my revenge is even for. Maybe I'll tell you, if I find you're actually worth all this effort. And I do hope that you are."_

_Caterina clamped her eyes shut, enraging him into slapping her again._

_"Look at me!" he screamed shrilly, "I want to enjoy the fear and terror in your eyes!"_

_"No!" Caterina tried to fight him off with all her might but it was useless._

_He again used the Cruciatus Curse on her and Severus realized that, as she appeared to stop her fight, her face struck an eerily peaceful pose as the heinous excuse for life started talking, explaining things to her as if he thought her dumb. Severus swallowed hard, forcing back the bile he tasted in his mouth, brought up by his outrage._

_"I happen to know that you're familiar with one certain Severus Snape. What you might not know is that he's apparently been having his way with you for some while now. He's very skilled in potions of a sort and I'm sure you never remember a single bit of it. Honestly, you'd never be interested in an odd creature like him, though it's understandable, his interest in you as you are rather beautiful, so much so that I'm even willing to sully myself with a muggle like you. Sad isn't it?"_

_He bent to kiss the skin along her neck as Caterina just shuddered, letting out a whimper. "If it wouldn't have been for Bellatrix and her crazed ramblings over Severus, we never would have found you. He was careful, very careful with you. Probably did not want the Dark Lord finding out he was shagging a muggle, given his high standing. But she followed him obsessively, and was ready to give up until she struck gold in a memory unwillingly surrendered by some daft old squib of a bookstore owner. It took some time but she discovered who the woman was in it, and it was you my darling."_

_Severus shook with pure fury, watching as he seductively drew his tongue down from her cheek to the swell of her breasts before pausing to ramble on again. "We'd take you to the Dark Lord himself, to expose the mighty Severus' filthy dabblings into the muggle realm, but after his successful killing of Dumbledore, well, let's just say we'd need more real proof to knock him out of favor. And unfortunately we can't afford to be wrong when bringing anything to his attention again, without incurring his extreme wrath. So Bellatrix sees us harming his wench as payment for Severus stealing Draco's moment of glory. And for once I would have to agree."_

_Slamming Caterina back against the wall brought an open-mouthed gasp from her, allowing him to thrust his tongue into her mouth as she could barely struggle to breathe through it all, and he groped wildly at her breasts. "Oh you are sweet, no wonder he keeps coming back to you. He'll most definitely be unhappy about losing you. I'm half tempted to change the plan of finishing you off afterwards, just so I can return for a few more rounds. I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you?"_

_Caterina spit at him and he hit her with the strongest Crucio yet. Her small body broke into brutal spasms from the wild pain until a ball of glowing golden light appeared just around the area of her heart. It spread out, enlarging itself and forming a sort of shield around Caterina._

_"What the bloody fuck is this?" He raised his wand in a defensive manner but before any spell could be uttered, his wand-tip made contact with the light and it exploded into him, throwing him back in the air about twenty feet, where he landed with a wild yelp of pain. Caterina, no longer being supported by anything, fell to the floor with a sickening smack as the golden glow hung protectively around her body. The bested wizard picked himself off the floor, nursing what appeared to be a badly twisted leg. Struggling to stand, Severus watched as he stared strangely down over Caterina for a moment, before disapparating away._

_Severus then dropped to the floor, crouching in anguish over his Caterina. She stared up, seeing through him, giving a faint smile before closing her eyes. All went black and Severus broke the spell, knowing everything at last._

Opening his eyes, his hand still rested on Caterina's cheek but it was being held there firmly by her small hand with her head sagging against the couch cushions. Her cheeks were streaked with many hot tears and he took her face into his hands, caressing them away and kissing her forehead.

"Look at me, Love. It's all over now."

Shaking her head, her eyes fluttered for a second before opening up to him and whispering, "D-i- did you know him? Could you see him… clearly?"

The rage within Severus returned. "Yes."

"Wh-h-o? Who was it?" she whispered in a shaking voice.

Severus cursed the day so long ago when he'd first ever laid eyes on the wizard that harmed his love and in a tone full of poisonous venom, uttered his name, "Lucius Malfoy."

Caterina sat up slightly, "You didn't suspect him?"

"I figured that he of all people certainly had knowledge, what with Bellatrix's hands being in this, but no, I'd suspected him to have sent any number of other Death Eaters to do their bidding in this matter. I understand now, though, why not."

"Why?"

"He'd fallen out of grace with the Dark Lord, having gotten himself caught and Bella was becoming more reckless near the end. Neither would have wanted to risk bringing you to the Dark Lord, proclaiming my involvement with you, when I could so easily have passed you off as a cheap thrill and indulgence for myself. It would have yielded them no extra favor to be proven wrong" Severus drew her completely into his lap and held her. "And for that reason, it solely became a personal matter to strike out at me alone. He also clearly believed I was leaving you with no memory of our on-going trysts. That belief alone is what saved you to some degree, as Draco said, but ultimately it was the protective spell you've been blessed with."

Severus was quiet for a long while. "I can't believe he's dead, though. I want to kill him myself. I couldn't care less about who killed him and why he was killed, but if I ever discover who, I'll certainly reward them for it."

Her tears ceased as Caterina snuggled into Severus' shoulder and rested quietly for a long while, processing her memories now. It would take some time, as terrifying and horrid as they were, but there was a strong sense of being finally freed from the unknown now, knowing the complete truth over the matter.

A new thought hit her with the force of a brick wall and her body stiffened suddenly in his arms. "Severus, what would have happened had they… had they found me pregnant? I would have been seven months along, completely showing. What would he have done?"

Severus stared down at her, his eyes wild with emotion and realization.

"What would have happened?" she demanded. "_Tell me_."

"I-I don't know," he choked.

"Don't _know_ or don't _want_ to say? He would have taken me… taken me directly to the Dark Lord, right?"

Severus closed his eyes.

"Answer me!"

"I don't- Most likely, yes," his deep voice faltered.

"What would have happened?"

"There's no way to guess what he might have done," Severus said in a deadly-soft whisper.

"You know better than that Severus. What would he have done to _me_? _You_? _Our baby_?" she demanded.

Severus swallowed hard. "Procreating with anyone other, other than a pure-blood in his eyes… would be punishable by death. Even if by… accident."

Caterina shivered violently and clung to Severus with all the strength she had in her. He held her just as fiercely, burying his head in her hair. What had been such a sad event with the unexpected incompatibility due to the mismatching of their blood had, in this case, possibly turned out to be a huge blessing in disguise.

"You said the Unspeakables guessed that my protective spell could possibly withstand even the Killing Curse? But I wonder…." she said, shaking in fear over what _might_ have occurred to all of them.

"We're never going to take that risk. Not a chance in hell."

Taking his face in her hands, she pushed up on her knees to be level with his face. "Thank you, Severus, for doing this. You had your reasons for your reservations and it wasn't easy, but as scary as it was finding out what could have been, we can honestly move on past this finally, like I said before. It all happened for a reason, even the bad things, though it took a lot to understand parts of it. And despite everything, in the end we still have each other and our love, something they could never fathom the degree of, which led them far from the truth."

Severus nodded, silently agreeing with her as the events still whirled through his mind and he remembered something he wanted to ask her. "Caterina, just before you passed out completely, you smiled. Why?"

She took a deep breath and though a tear slipped down her cheek, she smiled. "Somehow I'd summoned and managed to hold onto an image of us in my mind, holding our baby, as a family. I thought sure I was dying and I was happy to see you one last time, not knowing if you were even still alive or not."

Severus drew a sharp breath at that, pulling her head to rest on his chest. He'd never been keen on the idea of children, never had the need for anything more than her, but all at once, he felt the strangely strong desire to make her image of their family into a reality someday.

* * *

A/N: Wow! The truth behind who was behind Caterina's attack and what really happened that evening is no longer a mystery. Where you surprised or did you have a hunch? ;) It was a tough chapter to get through but, finally the truth is discovered. Now, who could have killed Lucius? Hmmmm... Keep reading! Thanks for the continuing encouragement and ongoing support! I love hearing what you think! :)


	53. Realizations and Remembrances

**Chapter 53**

**Realizations and Remembrances**

The next several days, after unraveling the entire attack from Caterina's mind, had taken a bit of an emotional toll on them both. But Caterina finally felt like the wild rift that had opened into her life before not remembering any of it, was beginning to mend and close at long last. She knew that Severus had passed all the information along to Kingsley and the Ministry and that they were following up on all the new information. The nightmares still came, though they were dwindling in their frequency and intensity. Most importantly, Severus was always there by her side and together they started to put back the pieces that had been broken apart from all that had happened. There were times when Caterina remained quiet, deep in thought and, Severus didn't pry or push her. She knew he was there for her.

One morning, Caterina and Severus walked hand in hand among the landscaped gardens around the cottage. She twirled a long-stemmed white rose that Severus had picked for her in her other hand, taking in its sweet rich scent. Giving a deep pensive sigh, she stopped, looking up at him with a quizzical expression.

"What is it Caterina?"

"I- well I was just wondering… did he suffer?"

Severus knew without asking that she was referring to Lucius Malfoy. "Even though no poison was found in him, all the evidence seems to show his poisoning to have been very real. There are many magical ways to have hidden it and we may never discover how it was done but, _yes_, you can be assured that he suffered and quite painfully from what I learned from the healer I impersonated, as well what was described by the family. According to Narcissa, he was in lasting and horrid pain most days, especially near the end."

Caterina didn't smile but in a quiet voice she uttered one word. "Good."

She was never a violent or mean-spirited person in any way but Severus knew exactly how she felt in hoping he'd suffered, and greatly, too, for all that he'd done to her and the others. There were still times Severus brimmed over with extreme rage at not having been able to kill him with his own two hands for what he'd done to Caterina but she told him it was for the best. She didn't care how he was gone, just that he had suffered and was gone forever.

He tilted her chin up with one long finger to look at him. "Yes, it is. He'll never be able to hurt you or anyone else again." Severus kissed her forehead and she smiled softly. "Now I believe we need to be leaving for St. Mungo's soon."

A short while later Caterina sat with her head resting lightly against Severus' shoulder, waiting at St. Mungo's after a full medical checkup and blood work. Severus had also undergone blood work, forced into it by Healer Brock to be sure all was still in order since he'd recovered from the nasty snake's attack, through Minerva's miraculous wand work.

When Healer Brock knocked at the door, she jumped slightly and sat up in her chair, being pulled out of her thoughts. Severus and Caterina both eyed him intently, for his face looked quite serious. Conjuring a chair, he sat across from them holding a long parchment, full of his notes and information.

"I have both good and bad news, though I'm not really sure which to give you first." He paused, thinking. "Ahh, well, how about the bad news, to get it over with, you know. Caterina, I'm sorry to say you will have to endure the effects of Potion Twenty-Seven yet again, just as we thought."

Caterina gripped Severus' hand tighter and let out a small pent-up breath. If that was the worst of it, she could certainly handle that.

"But on the flipside, your last blood tests showed only a trace imbalance of any kind in your blood, though to be completely sure it's corrected, you'll take one more dose. And after much deliberation, we see no reason or conflict in it only being a half dose. Since Severus' work at improving it, it's much more effective than the original anyway."

"Are you serious?" Caterina exclaimed, her face glowing with excitement over the good news.

Brock nodded vigorously with a wide smile on his face. "And as for you, Severus, you have a completely clean bill of health now as well. There are no residual after-effects that we can find from the poisonous snake venom."

Caterina tried to refrain from being so emotional but she just couldn't control herself. It was such an honest relief to receive that news concerning both of them, especially over Severus, as he'd been neglecting himself in favor of devoting all his time and efforts to her. Big tears rolled down her cheeks, but her sweet lips held a thankful and happy smile. Severus quickly conjured a handkerchief for her and squeezed her hand.

Brock stared at them for a long moment, grateful to be able to give them both such excellent news at long last. "There's one more thing, concerning you both though. It really is amazing to think of what you both have been through in just a few short months. And while things are much better now, it's taken its toll on you both as well - emotionally, physically and mentally."

He stopped again, pulling his face into a most serious expression. "This is _not_ a suggestion, I'm _ordering_ this as your Healer and as a concerned friend to both of you. I want you to take several days, four or five at least, go away, someplace fun, relaxing and pay attention to _only_ yourselves." Brock held up a hand as Severus opened his mouth to protest. "I know you've been staying away from Hogwarts and I believe that was a very wise choice but I want you to do more. Go on a mini holiday somewhere, anywhere, before term starts, bringing the pressures and stress of students with it."

"There are only three weeks left until term resumes- " Severus started to protest.

"I happen to know that _you_ have _never_ taken a real holiday since you started your teaching post at Hogwarts. Do I _need_ to put this in writing and submit it to the Minister of Magic himself to make sure you follow directions?" Brock turned to Caterina with a knowing smile. "I suspect only _you_ can really sway him, my dear, but you know where to find me should I need to write out an actual prescription."

Caterina giggled and winked at Brock. "Consider it done."

Severus narrowed his eyes but knew he'd never be able to fight her on it and, in all actuality, the thought of getting away from everything with his precious Caterina sounded quite inviting. And just like that, the matter was settled, though he wasn't about to give any outward sign of that fact to Brock.

As they left St. Mungo's, Severus found his mind preoccupied with where to possibly take Caterina. The one place he knew he planned to take her for their honeymoon was out of the question and he started to feel almost angry that his knowledge of vacationing places was so severely limited. Caterina had been to loads of different and unique places, all around the world, growing up with the privileged family that she had. That made coming up with someplace very different for her quite a dilemma to him, though he knew if he asked her, she would happily agree to just about anywhere. Glancing up as they crossed a street, Severus noticed a large sign that suddenly gave him at least one small idea. It was an idea to start with at least.

Despite her last potion dose, Caterina was in an absolutely cheerful mood over the next few days. Her emotions were certainly on edge still, but she felt it was finally all within her grasp now, and she found it easier to keep control most of the time. Severus watched, amused as she appeared to be slipping back into her old self and how she'd been when they spent the previous summer at the cottage. Severus heard her humming and singing to herself, and twirling gracefully here and there around the place once more. His sweet and wonderful Caterina was healing completely and he felt as though a huge weighty worry and burden lifted off his shoulders, one that had long been there and only grown in magnitude since he'd left her last summer.

They'd had several discussions over where to go and what to do on the 'imposed' holiday as Severus put it. Caterina felt quite excited while Severus wasn't exactly sure how one went about relaxing and ignoring all of one's duties while doing such. And while she was bubbling with ideas, he couldn't help but think of the safety aspect of each and every place she mentioned, making Caterina slightly frustrated with him.

"Severus, darling, I know you've been extremely guarded in taking me out into public before we knew who had attacked me. But things should be a lot safer now that we know everything, right?"

Severus inhaled deeply, not wanting to admit that she was probably right again. "Yes, I suppose so that's true."

"Well then, I'd like to see a few more magical places if that's alright with you. Not for the whole time, but you did promise to take me to Diagon Alley sometime, you know," she reminded him with a bewitching smile that made it all but impossible for him to deny her.

Severus decided upon a compromise concerning their getaway. If she selected several places that she'd like to go as well as where to stay, he'd see to the itinerary. Feasibly they could stay just about anywhere as he could apparate them to any different point of interest. His only request was that they spend their first night in London. He would indulge her request and take her to Diagon Alley and then he had a surprise for her.

They decided to go on Friday, giving Caterina a few more days for the potion to work through her system. During that time, Severus flung himself headlong into Hogwarts related concerns and issues, making sure he addressed everything that could possibly be taken care of before they went away. Caterina, though still often tired, busied herself with a variety of tasks around the cottage.

Once all their plans were finalized, the day before they were to leave for London, Severus informed her that he needed to leave for a short while to see to some business. She assured him that she would be just fine while he was gone but that didn't stop him from double-checking all the protective spells around the cottage and having a talk with Stella.

Severus left early, promising to be back in just a few short hours. Caterina found that her concentration and focus were definitely improving much since the half dose, though there were times when she felt restless and agitated. After having finished up most of her packing, Caterina took a short walk through the flower gardens, then she tried settling down in the sitting room with a favorite book. By page two, her thoughts were divided and wandering over a variety of topics from how life would go back at Hogwarts once the students returned in a few short weeks, to the tiny details of their wedding at Christmastime.

A sharp knock on the front door startled her, knowing it was not Severus returning already. There came a stabbing pang of fear in her chest over that fact, knowing that no one was to be dropping by and she was uncertain if she wanted to answer it. Debating for a long moment, she felt at least curious to know who it could be. Severus had the entire property warded to keep anyone but a select few from encroaching or wandering in. Quietly she called for Stella, who appeared at once with a small popping sound.

"Stella," she started in a hushed tone, "there's someone at the door- "

"I feels him," Stella interrupted with a tiny shiver.

Caterina gasped at the house-elf. "What do you mean you feels him, Stella?"

"Tis a powerful wizard, but not quite as powerful as my master. Need not be afraid of the Minister though. He wouldn't hurt yous."

"_What? _You're saying it's Kingsley at the door?"

Stella's head bobbed affirmatively, "The Minister of Magic himself."

Caterina swiftly walked to the front door of the cottage and gave a quick peek through the door's peephole to verify what Stella had said. And it was indeed Kingsley Shacklebolt who was standing on the other side. Puzzled over how he knew where to find them, Caterina took a deep breath, turned the locks and opened the door.

"I didn't expect to discover you on my doorstep," Caterina said almost crossly at him with a raised brow.

Kingsley chuckled deeply. "I suspect you didn't. Severus has this place so well guarded and hidden, I myself have spent nearly an hour trying to decipher its exact location through all the magical deterrents."

"Well, since you proved successful, would you like to come in? Severus is out but should be returning shortly."

"Actually, I don't believe that I can," Kingsley said with a quizzical look.

Caterina gave him an odd look as he gingerly stretched out a hand toward the open doorway. Just as the tip of his finger passed the threshold, there came a blinding flash of blue light. Kingsley was propelled backwards and sent sprawling on his backside down on the porch with a loud thud.

He looked bemused for a moment, before righting himself and shaking his head in awe. "Severus is extraordinarily clever and ingenious. He's got the place guarded in such a fashion, no one with magical abilities can enter without him allowing it. You're in good hands with him. "

"The very best hands…." she corrected.

Caterina couldn't help but smirk lightly over this information though. It sounded like something Severus would go out of his way to do in protecting her. Severus always thought of things like that.

"Well, I guess you'll have to wait out here then, won't you?"

"No, I don't plan on waiting, because I actually wanted to speak with just you anyways, so my timing couldn't have been better, you see," said Kingsley, holding a sly smile on his face.

Caterina wasn't sure what she thought about this and held a strong reservation. "About what, exactly?"

"Why, about Severus, of course."

Caterina found herself pacing after Kingsley's visit wondering if she could keep what he'd asked, from Severus. Though she knew Severus would certainly know he had visited. And just as she'd guessed, the moment Severus returned, one of his spells alerted him to the magical visitor. Barging through the front door, he wildly sought to find her. She sat, waiting in the living room with a knowing smile on her amused face.

"Who the hell was- " he roared, his black eyes piercing every corner with his wand readied.

"Shsssh. Everything is just fine, Darling. It was only Kingsley."

"How did he know where…? Severus started with an angry scowl.

Caterina looked thoughtful and guessed. "You know I'm not really sure about that. Maybe being Minister…?"

Severus only raised an eyebrow. "And what brought him by?"

Caterina stood, handing Severus a rolled parchment containing information regarding the start of term ceremony and then she slipped her arms around his waist, pressing herself against him. "Now that the alarm is over, do I get a 'hello' kiss?"

His scowl lessened considerably at her request and, stoking his long fingers through her chestnut curls, it transformed into a small grin. Then he tilted her chin up and leaned down to completely capture her rosy red lips with his own. Caterina let out a long, happy sigh. Slowly he pulled away and ran a slightly rough finger over her full lips.

"Are you finished packing?" he inquired.

"Almost."

They left early in the morning, Severus wanting plenty of time to show her around magical London. Caterina had selected several fabulous out of the way places to stay at after their time there. Never could he have imagined just how delighted he would feel in introducing her to the many sights and sounds of the newly restored Diagon Alley; Caterina was simply amazed at it all and he was amazed at watching her bubbling excitement and enthusiasm. There were many faces that Severus recognized throughout the day but none put him on edge, thankfully, and most were too stunned at seeing him out and about with a beautiful woman to even attempt to approach him. It appeared the unwanted notoriety of his true heroics was wearing off, much to his delight.

On a whim, he took her into a fancy dress shop to try on some robes and cloaks. He'd remembered her asking him if he preferred for her to dress that way once the students returned to Hogwarts. Feeling touched over her willingness to try and blend in more for him, he flat out told her not to change a single thing about herself for him. He loved whatever she chose to wear and did not need to worry about it. But knowing her like he did, he figured she would enjoy having a few choices though, maybe for special occasions. After purchasing several things, his favorite being a thick wool winter cloak in a rich, brilliant turquoise that matched her eyes perfectly, he had them sent on to Hogwarts.

Later in the afternoon, once they'd visited just about every shop and point of interest, Severus suggested that they return to their hotel so she could rest up for the evening. His black eyes were almost sparkling and she knew for sure that he was up to something, though he refused to give her any hints other than to make a suggestion as to a favorite dress he liked on her.

That evening Caterina was astonished to discover Severus had made reservations at one of her favorite restaurants, knowing of his disdain for being in public places, but even more of a surprise was that he took her to see Phantom of the Opera after dinner. His extreme thoughtfulness and remembrance of that being a favorite of hers brought sweet tears to her eyes.

Following their time in London, he apparated them to a small seaside town in Ireland that Caterina had often visited growing up. She'd been thrilled to learn from Severus that there lay a quaint magical village tucked nearby into the rolling green hills. They enjoyed a wonderful time and Severus took Caterina to several places that were quite secluded and accessible only by magical means.

Severus didn't even realize at first just how quickly he found himself truly and honestly relaxing. The likes of which he'd never allowed himself the pleasure of but only in his rare unguarded moments with Caterina before the war ended. He marveled again at how his fortune in life had completely changed directions, slowly but steadily, once Caterina had made her first appearance. Somehow she'd helped him break through the mold of being a lonely, embittered and disenchanted old fool. He also discovered that relationships did not all turn out like his parents' had, and that, instead, they could be so much more. Severus treasured every moment he spent with his Love and basked in the simple things such as the wondrous thrill of holding her in his arms while drifting off to sleep each night.

They had a glorious time, getting away for a few days, so much so that Caterina thought they should send Healer Brock a thank-you for the suggestion. Severus only growled at that idea but helped her select a nice wine to send off to him. After spending a few more days at the cottage, they soon returned to Hogwarts. There was much to do for the start of the school year and especially with the opening ceremony planned to honor those who bravely fought and to remember those who gave everything.

Caterina felt a growing nervous excitement over the prospect of meeting those who she'd only heard by name from the Order of the Phoenix. While Severus found his time filled with endless meetings and planning, Caterina struggled to keep herself busy and occupied. The reason for Kingsley's visit became quite pressing and she ended up seeking out Minerva's help over it, still keeping Severus from it. The older witch immediately saw to helping her in solving the dilemma.

She didn't have to worry about Severus suspecting anything as he worked late into each of the nights prior to the first of the month, and was up before sunrise most mornings. If they hadn't just enjoyed such a fabulous holiday, Caterina may have been inclined to voice concerns over their lack of time together. Instead she just hoped it would all lessen once the special night was over and would not be indicative of the entire school year. She was beginning to feel so much more like her normal self and she felt almost selfish in her time with Severus. They had not taken any chances in being intimate since her relapse and if it was frustrating her, she could only imagine how it was bothering Severus.

It was outstanding the effort that went into sprucing up, transforming and decorating the castle for the events of September first. The Ministry sent in extra witches and wizards to assist, wanting nothing short of pulling off a brilliant and memorable production for all in attendance. They expected a huge turnout from all over the country and even many from abroad. Through the use of temporary charms, the Great Hall was enlarged to over four times its normal size. Caterina was shocked but touched that Severus suggested they invite Jamison to the event and arrangements were made for him to attend.

September first finally arrived and, once again, Caterina refused to allow Severus to see her dress until she was all ready and put together. It was the only part of the evening that he was truly looking forward to, being with her, and if he'd honestly had it his way, he'd rather stay in their room, just him and her, while the whole ceremony proceeded. In no way was he against honoring the efforts of everyone, but he really was not wanting to be out in the spotlight himself over it all, yet again. He'd missed so much time with Caterina recently and felt as if he only properly spent time with her in the past few weeks while she was asleep. Desperately he missed making love to her but he didn't want her to feel pressured over that at all until she felt completely over the effects of the potion. He was having an increasingly difficult time, controlling his thoughts and actions around her, just wanting to ravish her on the spot though.

When Caterina emerged from the bathroom where Stella had been assisting her in getting ready, Severus' jaw actually dropped open. "I'm sorry, _I_ must be in the wrong room, because you certainly can't belong to someone such as _I,_ madam."

Caterina winked at him, laughed and, as always, gracefully turned about, showing off her dress. He'd not known what to expect but knew whatever she wore, she would look divine. This time, Caterina was utterly stunning in a long black velvet, fitted gown. The strapless beauty had a sweetheart neckline that was inviting but not too tantalizingly low and a long slit ran just up to the start of her left thigh. It had a low back and she'd left her beautiful long curls hang loose, allowing them to sweep across her bare back as she moved her head. What was truly eye-catching about the dress were the emerald green rhinestones and silver embroidery that formed a long flourishing pattern starting on the bodice, curving around, down along one side in a serpentine fashion.

Crossing the room to him, Caterina placed her hands on his chest, smoothing out a small wrinkle of his handsome, button-clad black dress robes. "You like it? I thought it was only fitting to wear something that would represent my fervent devotion and unending attachment to my favorite Slytherin."

Severus remained speechless a moment longer and stood practically beaming down at her over her choice. "You may be the only thing that gets me sanely through this night."

"I think I can happily do that for you," she replied, softly stretching up to kiss his lips. "Well, it's about time to meet Jamison, so we should be off, shouldn't we?"

Letting out a small snarl and a low muttered curse, Severus nodded with a grimace replacing his earlier smile. "Yes, let's get this evening started so it can end all the sooner."

Hand in hand, he led her to the headmaster's office where they were expecting Jamison to arrive by portkey. Severus had taken care of arranging it and had carefully explained how it would work to an apprehensive Jamison, who appeared, right as scheduled, staring oddly at the old-fashioned looking fountain pen in his hand. Caterina hugged him, chuckling over his bemused expression, which was a cross somewhere between pure shock and exhilaration over his first real magical experience with traveling.

"If you think that was a bit different, just wait until you've traveled through the fireplace sometime," she offered.

"Fireplace?" Jamison repeated slowly, scratching his forehead.

Before long, they were in the Great Hall which was beginning to fill with a vast amount of witches and wizards of all ages. Caterina and Jamison were shown to seats near the front of the room, while Severus and the rest of those who'd had a helping hand in the downfall of Voldemort were to be seated on a large, elegantly decorated stage. Severus was not at all thrilled by this and, as soon as he'd been forced to leave Caterina's side, he quickly donned his trademark scowl of general disenchantment. He was, however, pleased to find he had clear view of her from his seat, until the short row of chairs were filled just in front of him on the stage by Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

Breaking with tradition for the usual start of term events, Kingsley Shacklebolt, being the acting Ministry of Magic, formally welcomed everyone and started off the evening. There were several lovely and touching speeches made by prominent wizards, followed by a special time and moment of silence dedicated to all those who'd lost their lives. Caterina knew that Severus was especially remembering Dumbledore and, in catching his eye, gave him an encouraging smile and wink. The dark-haired Potter boy happened to also catch it and, by the comical look he returned to her, apparently believed it was directed at himself.

Again, Kingsley's booming voice was taking over and the ceremony moved into presenting all those on the stage with Orders of Merlin. It took a while as certain accomplishments of each individual were highlighted. Every so often, Caterina would whisper to Jamison, adding something particular about those who she'd gotten to know while at Hogwarts. Severus found himself growing more relaxed as he kept his black eyes trained on her, except for the times when Potter would cock his head to one side or the other, making quiet comments to the two on either side of him. As last, when most of the Orders had been presented, Severus had failed to realize his name had not been called yet through all the applause.

Instead, his eyes were trained again on the spot where Caterina had been sitting, only to discover that in the brief time Harry Potter had stood to accept his award, she had completely vanished from sight. Jamison was clapping politely along with the crowd, his face showing no awareness that Caterina was gone from his side. There could be no way she would up and excuse herself during such an event. And while he did not feel she was in any danger, he had a certain stabbing fear, encroaching around his chest at her sudden and unexplained disappearance. Just as he was about to stand and head off to search of her, he was presented with the dilemma of Kingsley calling out his name.

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A/N: Have no fear, I have not sent her off into some uncertain danger once again but rather something to amuse Severus this time! LOL :D Hope you enjoyed a lighter, easier going of a chapter now after the last few. Many thanks to my ever faithful reviewers and a warm welcome to a few new ones as well! I greatly appreciate the continuing encouragement in wrapping A Place for My Heart up to its ending. Have a lovely, Snapey-filled day. :)


	54. Ceremonies and Celebrations

A/N: Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 1 opens in just a few hours for some! I hope everyone thoroughly enjoys it and be sure to remember, all those sad moments where someone doesn't make it... well, they each live on somewhere, in somebody's fanfiction! :D

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**Chapter 54**

**Ceremonies and Celebrations**

Somehow Severus' legs stood for him, all the while his piercing dark eyes searched relentlessly across the Great Hall for Caterina. He only registered part of what Kingsley was saying about him as he enumerated his long, on-going efforts of working as a double agent for Dumbledore over the years. When the time came, his long legs managed to take him to stand by the Minister to receive his award, an Order of Merlin, First Class, just as Potter and his companions had received. With a great clap on the shoulder and a hearty handshake, Kingsley handed off the black velvet box, opening it to show off the highly polished silver medallion.

There came a thunderous applause for a whole minute that barely sounded in his ears as his eyes still wildly sought to find Caterina. Kingsley held up his arms for silence and the next bit that settled in his ears with complete disbelief was the phrase, "_International Wizarding Medal of Honor and Valor." _Slowly he turned to look at Kingsley as a sudden and odd lump in his throat made it quite difficult to swallow. This time Severus realized quickly that Kingsley held nothing in his hands and instead was beaming widely as he motioned with his head for Severus to turn to his left.

Severus slowly turned, only to find himself staring into the vividly blue and loving eyes of his beautiful Caterina. She stepped toward him holding a sizable gold medal which she tenderly pinned to the front of his black robes. Then the scene that next passed before the closely observing eyes of all, especially those on stage, was met with shocked expressions, audible gasps and even a few loud catcalls. For, ever so sweetly and unexpectedly, they watched as she reached up, grasped his face gently between her small hands and placed a long, lingering kiss on his lips. Again came the exuberant applause as the entire congregation stood to their feet.

It was clearly obvious that Severus felt truly stunned, not only by the additional award but also by it being presented to him by Caterina. His countenance broke into a rather large grin, larger than most present had certainly ever witnessed on him. Just as he was about to slip his arm securely around her waist and whisk her back to his seat, Kingsley interfered, whispering under his breath that he required her presence a bit longer. Severus sharply narrowed his fiery black eyes at the Minister but begrudgingly allowed it, content to now know what had become of her. Returning to his seat, his happy grin transformed into a confident smirk over the befuddled expressions of those around him on stage.

Kingsley's deep booming voice at last became easier to focus on, though Severus still stared intently at Caterina standing there close by in her becoming gown. The Minister began to discuss the Wizarding World's on-going relations and delvings into the Muggle World.

"I'm delighted to say there are actually quite a few muggles here in attendance tonight, ranging from parents of Hogwarts students to several very special guests. Often times, we fail to realize just how much our affairs can affect and spill over into the lives of some of them. One in particular is this lovely beauty here beside me." Kingsley paused to smile warmly at her and slip his large arm around her shoulder, causing a low growl from Severus. "I'd like to introduce you to Caterina Clarkstone. Years ago her life crossed the path of a wizard, and she is one, like many other muggles, who had to deal with the out-pouring of our war into her own personal life. I asked her, in addition to presenting Severus Snape with his award, to enlighten us all by blending her sweet voice with that of Myron Wagtail, lead singer from the Weird Sisters."

All at once the lighting dimmed considerably as the other singer joined her on stage. Every face watched eagerly, with rapt attention to this very unusual pairing of a muggle and a wizard, and they were all treated to a beautiful song. Severus sat happily engrossed in watching his sweet, and wondered just how hard it must have been for Caterina to keep this surprise from him, also realizing it must have been the real reason for Kingsley's visit to the cottage. At the end, the crowd let loose their appreciation with wild cheers and applause. Severus looked a bit miffed as Myron Wagtail offered a chaste kiss to the back of Caterina's hand before leading her off stage.

Then, much to Severus' amusement, Kingsley thanked them, while quickly slipping in an additional comment concerning Caterina. "Sorry to inform all you gents out there, but she's been quite happily claimed by a fellow wizard, one who I doubt any of you would want to find yourself up against."

It was all Severus could do to keep from throwing his head back and roaring with laughter as Harry and Ron leaned toward each other and unanimously agreed, "She's _got_ to be with Kingsley. Lucky bastard."

The last event to follow the awards ceremony, before the crowd was turned over to a plethora of refreshments and mingling, was the traditional Sorting Ceremony of all the first years. Kingsley and the Hogwarts staff felt it was only fitting to end the evening by welcoming in a future generation of witches and wizards, all made possible by the sacrifices of those they were there to celebrate and remember that very night.

Severus sought out Caterina and Jamison immediately, and despite the immense crowd gathered, there were very few aware of the fact that he practically launched her into the air when his arms wrapped around her and yanked her off her feet. She beamed endearingly at him as he just shook his head, still in disbelief over what had transpired. Jamison was soon whisked away by an engrossed Flitwick, who promised to take him on the grand tour of the castle, to show off many of its charming wonders, all the while asking an endless stream of muggle-related questions.

Caterina stood, smiling and quietly observing the room from a far corner as Severus went to get her a drink. Suddenly, she found herself surrounded by several who had been on stage, including the infamous trio. She was quickly introduced to those she didn't recognize and was pleased to acquaint herself with Arthur, Molly and George Weasley, Hestia Jones and Dedalus Diggle.

Then the questions all started at once, like an endless spew of water from a hose.

"I wanted to ask you, have we met before? I caught you looking my way several times during the ceremony?" asked Potter with an eager and confident smirk.

"Umm, no," Caterina answered, realizing he really had mistaken her winks at Severus for gestures toward him.

"Oh my dear! Caterina, it is, right? It's wonderful to meet you! We all just _can't _believe he kept you hidden from us for so long. Such a lovely surprise!" spouted Molly, as those around agreed by vigorously nodding their heads.

Caterina grinned politely. "Well, it was entirely too dangerous to have done so before - "

Hestia reached forward and grabbed her left hand. "Merlin, is _this_ an engagement ring?"

Everyone crowded in closer and Caterina sighed with a tranquil smile. "Yes, yes it is."

"It's breathtaking. Now _that_ is a proper ring," came the bushy haired Granger girl, giving a sharp elbow to the ginger-haired boy beside her.

"Wow, he's got some exquisite taste and not only in women, I see," cooed Molly with a dreamy look on her face. "Oh we couldn't be happier for him and we'll all do our best to help ease you into learning all there is to know about the Wizarding World, dearie."

"Actually, it's a family heirloom," Caterina managed finally, between all the oohs and ahhs.

"Good heavens, that's even more lovely and meaningful! Who knew he had such a romantic side? Oh I do love a wedding!" Hestia practically sobbed with excitement, as Molly dabbed her eyes. "When's the big day? I honestly can't believe this hasn't been leaked to the Prophet yet."

As they all talked, several other flaming red-heads joined the group, along with a beautiful young blond.

"Well, Kingsley obviously has a bit of weighty pull as far as that is concerned. There's been a few top secret missions and what not… he's kept under major wraps over the summer," said Harry, all important-like, "until it's been figured out and sorted properly."

"Ah, we're getting married over the Christmas holidays, while school is on break so we - "

Molly clapped her hands together with glee. "Oh we'll be completely happy to assist you two _lovebirds_ in any and every way! You only need to ask! You're going to make an absolutely gorgeous bride. Oh, I can't tell you how this news just warms my heart."

While the women were busy buzzing on about wedding suggestions, Arthur smiled at her. "That was mighty sweet of you to present that award to Severus tonight. I don't think I've ever seen the man smile before."

"Of course he hasn't! Poor bloke probably ain't never been properly kissed by such a gorgeous woman before," offered George with a loud snort.

"I'll bet not, and from the looks of it, for a moment there I thought he was going to drag you back to his seat, he looked that happy for it," laughed Ron, at Caterina's shocked expression.

Harry winked at her with a confident laugh. "Oh don't worry, we would have promptly rescued you. Though he certainly is a hero and deserves a bit of happiness as well, now. I'm just not so sure you want to hang around him much. Bit of a gruff and dismal personality."

"Oh yes, he certainly does deserve some happiness. I must say, he's looking much better tonight, better then I've seen him in years. Almost younger and even content possibly. Probably so relieved finally to be rid of the burden he carried for so long. We should find him someone, why, I bet even he'd like to settle down now. I do wonder what he's been up to over the summer? We haven't seen a lick of him," replied Molly in a motherly tone as matchmaking bells began tolling in her head.

There was a quiet murmur of polite agreeing among the group, along with a hearty _'here, here' _from Dedalus.

"Oh dear me," muttered Caterina, beginning to feel quite flustered and agitated now.

As she tucked a curl behind her ear and looked up, Caterina was overjoyed to catch Severus' gaze. He'd just walked up behind the group, wearing a wickedly amused sneer and she wondered how much he'd overheard. Just at that moment, though, Kingsley Shacklebolt swooped in from the right and twirled Caterina around, laughing excitedly.

"You were every bit as brilliant as I expected you'd be tonight! How did Severus like it? Was he surprised?" Kingsley's voice boomed out cheerfully.

Caterina blushed and fought to keep from erupting into a fit of giggles. " Oh, he's right here, why don't you ask him?"

The whole group turned around with gaping mouths, at once, to find Severus grinning in an odd manner that none of them were used to seeing.

"Yes, it was the highlight of my evening, though I'm not quite sure how she managed to keep it from me," Severus answered silkily.

Pulling free of Kingsley, she joined Severus' side. "I had some wonderful help from Minerva, Darling."

Caterina wasn't sure who it was, but ever so quietly, someone repeated her. _"Darling?"_

That was the last she could take of it and, in placing a tender hand on his chest, Caterina stretched up on her toes to kiss Severus once more. And the fact that his lips responded to hers brought about several long gasps, along with a good-natured _'bloody lucky bastard' _from Kingsley.

Severus slipped a tight, possessive arm around her waist and dryly spoke. "I believe you had your chance already Shacklebolt."

"Not a proper one really, since you'd stolen her heart long before I ever showed up."

"Oi… I'm confused," said Ron, wagging a finger back and forth between his former Potions professor and the Minister of Magic. "I thought… I thought she was - "

"You thought _quite _wrong, Mr. Weasley," drawled Severus with a smirk as Caterina gazed up at him.

"But… Well, wait a minute! Didn't you just tell us you were marrying Kingsley… at Christmas?" asked a bewildered Molly.

"I told you _we_ were getting married at Christmas, while school was out. It was _all of you _who assumed it was Kingsley, for some strange reason," Caterina corrected sweetly.

Kingsley let out a roaring laugh. "She's been one of Severus' very best kept secrets for years. It's an amazing story really, what hell they've gone through for it. But what's important is that it's all over now and smooth sailing from here on out."

Caterina couldn't help but laugh at all the incredulous faces staring at them and, just for added emphasis of the truth, she turned, reached up and pulled Severus down into a long and deep kiss.

"You've got to be bloody joking," whispered George. "Wow!"

"Blimey… who'd have ever guessed he… and the… well, with she?" sputtered Ron, looking dumbfounded.

Hermione clasped her hands over her open-mouthed face as Harry's eyes bulged wide in his head. Molly Weasley opened and closed her mouth several times, making no noise at all, while everyone else wore faces mixed with varying degrees of disbelief and surprise.

When they finally pulled apart, it was Arthur who rebounded the quickest from the shock to step forward with a smile and an outstretched hand. "I believe some long over-due congratulations are in order for the two of you."

Despite the overwhelming astonishment, and after a long awkward pause, the rest of the group followed suit in congratulating them with well wishes. Then they were bombarded with questions, all inquiring as to how they met and how things had come about between Caterina and Severus. Severus kept many answers relatively vague and short, wanting nothing more than to retire back for the evening with his Love, especially now that word would surely be blazing around about them like cauldron fire.

It took some time, but Severus managed to extract himself and Caterina from the amazed group. Before long, an awestruck Jamison was joined back up with them and he rambled on about all the sights he'd encountered on his tour of the castle as they enjoyed some of the delightful foods.

Finally, the students began saying good-bye to their parents and heading off to their houses. For the first time, Severus realized just how enormously glad he was, not to be caught up with the task of getting Slytherin house settled, especially after such an event. Kingsley kindly offered to see Jamison home and, after a round of many good-byes, Severus and Caterina found themselves alone and back in their chambers at last. Surprisingly it was not near as late as he'd expected it to be either, but regardless, Severus was glad the next day was Sunday, giving everyone a day to settle before starting into classes.

Caterina wrapped her arms around him and hugged herself tight against him. "I'm so proud of you, Darling."

He grinned happily down at her. She looked so exquisite in her black velvet gown that his only thoughts were of helping her slip right out of it, in an effort to get to her equally exquisite body hidden underneath. He wondered for a moment and then leaned forward to kiss the sweet little spot that drove her crazy, right where her neck met her collarbone. Caterina squirmed delightedly but pulled back to reach up and carefully remove the medal from his robes. Stepping away from him, she gently placed it in a rich purple velvet case on a table next to the Order of Merlin. Watching her, he slipped off his robes and began undoing the many buttons of his frock coat which he'd removed by the time Caterina came back over to him.

Stretching up on her toes she kissed him and his strong hands caressed the smoothness of her bare back until she turned away from him. "Would you mind undoing the zipper, Severus?"

"Not at all."

His hands were all too eager to oblige her in her request as he pushed her long curls to one side exposing her shoulder. Delicately he began nibbling along her jaw line, working into hot open-mouthed kisses leading from her neck down to her shoulder and across the ivory skin of her silky back while his nimble finger painstakingly worked the zipper down and his hands found their way into the sides of her dress. Caterina drew a sharp breath and shivered excitedly. His plan was working. Or so he thought until she turned around and playfully smacked his hands away, all the while holding the front of her dress up with one arm.

"Severus! Let me get out of this gown and ready for bed." Caterina laughed as she pulled back from him.

He gave an internal groan but nodded, kissing her on the forehead before she slipped away, into the bathroom. Wishing he hadn't gotten his hopes up and feeling rather disgruntled, he himself changed into a pair of black pajama pants and t-shirt that Caterina had given him. Then he randomly selected a book from his collection, dropped onto the couch and opened it. His eyes didn't focus on the page but rather on the lively flames, dancing in the fireplace. After a short while he heard her exit the bathroom and bustle around in the closet, putting her things away. With a strained effort he willed his eyes onto the page as Caterina slipped her arms around his neck from behind.

"I overheard some of the students talking about going flying tomorrow before breakfast, on brooms. I'd love to see that," she softly told him.

"I'll take you out to the Quidditch pitch and we can watch them from there."

"Umkay…Is that a magical book, Dearest?"

"No, it's just about potion reactions," he answered quietly.

"It's not a charmed book, like some of your others?"

He didn't understand her preoccupation about the damned book but he wasn't about to explain it was just to take his mind off all the things he was desperate to do to her. "No."

"Hmm. Oh, did you try any of that chocolate mousse? It was absolutely heavenly." She kissed his neck and then walked around the couch to sit on the padded armrest next to him.

"No. Do I normally indulge in desserts?" he asked gruffly, trying hard not to take his frustrations out on her.

"Well, not normally, but sometimes you've been known to," came her sweet reply as her hand ruffled through his hair.

Glancing sideways, he gave her a tiny smirk. Caterina was wearing the long, black silk robe that he'd surprised her with a few weeks back. Smiling at the thought of the black lace and silk gown that matched it, he reached over and caressed her hand for a moment before turning back to his book, his eyes blankly taking in the words. She sat quietly beside him for a few minutes longer, watching him.

"Caterina, Love, I'm just going to read over a few pages more, if you want to go lay down. I'll join you in a short while."

"Are you sure that book isn't magical?" she asked again.

"No, it's not."

"Certainly must be an engrossing read."

Severus gave his head a small nod, trying to refocus his gaze once more as she stood and moved to stand in front of him.

"Actually, I was wondering if maybe you were in the mood for…" Caterina paused and undid the knot, dropping the robe to the floor, "for some _dessert_, you know, after all. I mean you're not really paying that book one bit of attention anyway. It's upside-down."

Severus' mouth dropped open and he blinked his eyes. She wasn't wearing the matching black gown underneath at all. But was instead wearing one of the sexiest pieces of lingerie he'd yet laid eyes on and he thought he'd seen it all now, thanks to her. It was low, tight and made of black satin and Slytherin green lace. He'd never seen her wear such an utterly seductive garment before but knew he'd now beg her to do so daily if he had to. It stopped just above her hips and almost met the tops of her wickedly alluring black lace panties. His eyes followed on down and he now also realized she was still wearing her black thigh-highs and high heels. The whole effect was ridiculously arousing to him.

Tossing the book away from him, it landed open-faced, down on the floor, but Severus couldn't be bothered to give it a second thought. "_Dessert _it is. And just what do we call this heavenly temptation?"

Placing her hands on his shoulders, Caterina worked her way into straddling his lap. "It's a corset, Darling."

His hungry dark eyes failed to meet hers, though, as they plunged down into the gloriously displayed bust, the green lace barely covering her taut, rosy nipples. Severus plunged his tongue between her breasts and let out a loud groan of contentment.

"Mind the panties, will you? No need for ripping, they simply untie at the sides," she whispered seductively.

Severus thought he'd burst at that announcement. His hands went straight to her hips, found the little satin bows and pulled them both free at the same time, while his mouth never left her breasts.

Caterina chuckled and gripped the side of his face, pulling him away to look her in the eye. "So it would seem you found something you like, better than your book, after all?"

"Oh not _like_, but love…" he said in a rich voice, all the while maneuvering her around in his lap to remove his pants. "Desire, adore, yearn for, lust after…."

Caterina tugged his shirt free and then enveloped his head in her arms, kissing him deeply, caressing his mouth with her warm tongue. He held her firm in the kiss and slowly eased himself inside her wonderful warmth. Her sharp gasp was caught and muted by his lips and he paused a moment to let her adjust completely to him until she began to grind her hips against him. When he started to thrust into her with a steady rhythm, his hands groped to free her breasts completely from the luscious corset. It was useless as he found his fingers to be all thumbs and simply settled with forcing the top of it down just a bit so he could enjoy watching her breasts bounce with his motions and tease her hardened nipples incessantly.

It had been far too long since they'd made love and he knew he would not last near like he wanted. Lifting her in his arms, he managed to stand and walk the short distance to the bed. Caterina threw her head back and moaned just the way he loved to hear. Carefully Severus lifted her off of himself and she dropped her legs to stand. She smirked wickedly as her small hand grasped his rock hard length. He nearly exploded over that, and with a certain roughness, he whirled her around and pushed her forward onto the bed, entering her from behind.

Caterina panted and gasped wildly, her hands knotting into the sheets. "Ahh…Oh yes, Severus! Mmmhhh… harder!"

Instantly he obeyed her command and vigorously thrust into her, burying himself completely. Severus reached around to cup her breasts, squeezing them and within seconds, Caterina went to pieces, screaming and bucking back against him as hard as she could. His mouth found the sweet spot on her smooth, supple neck and he sucked hard, grunting all the while as he emptied his hot seed into her before collapsing on top of her.

Severus rested with his head pressed to her sweat-glistening back for just a minute, then he backed away, lifted her up, and threw her onto the bed, quickly crawling over top of her, still somewhat panting himself. "I hope you know that was just a warm up…"

Caterina arched her back off the bed and pressed her chest into his, moaning and groping to hold onto his broad shoulders. "I expected nothing less."

Sitting back on his heels after a minute, his hands again made another to attempt to remove the corset. "I do love it, but it's got to go. I want to kiss and touch every last inch of your sexy body."

He studied it for a minute, then leaned down to kiss her breasts and take them into his mouth as his fingers aimlessly worked at trying to remove the last clothing obstacle between them. There were no ribbons, snaps or zippers that he could find. Pulling away, his black gleaming eyes searched over the fabric and he let out a frustrated growl.

"Is it in the back? Can I lift it off?" he growled. "How does this delightfully infernal thing come off?"

Smiling coyly, she shook her head no as he poised his hand in front of her chest with a mischievous smirk.

Giggling, she grabbed his hand, seeing that he was about to perform wandless magic to remove it. "_Oh no_, I got it on without the aid of magic, so that's how _you're _going to get it _off_. And I promise, Love, it's not nearly as hard as you're making it."

"Maybe not, but it's making _me_ hard," he whispered richly into her ear.

Carefully he lifted her up, holding a steady hand behind her back as he closely examined it inch by inch, suddenly discovering what looked like an endless row of tiny hooks. His large fingers worked the first one open.

Caterina snickered. "Remind you of _anything_? Maybe a long black coat with endless buttons?"

Leaning forward he nibbled on her collarbone. "I happen to know you like _my_ buttons, _very_ much."

"Yes, I do," she laughed, sliding a seductive hand down his chest and gently running her fingernails along his hip.

Severus let out another low growl but gave her a kiss on the lips and, with a smug grin, proclaimed, "Done. Now, what was I going to do next? Oh yes, ravish you all over again, completely and totally, until you absolutely beg me to stop."

"Good luck with that. Got an endurance potion handy?"

Waking the next morning with the sun streaming in across the wildly disheveled bed, Severus grinned as sensual thoughts and provocative images from the night before rushed around in his head. He'd had the wondrous privilege of passionately enjoying his sweet Love two more times, until they drifted to sleep in each other's arms, utterly exhausted but completely and blissfully content. Glancing down, Caterina's head rested on his chest and she was wrapped around him most seductively, with one leg wedged in between his own. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply, gloating in the knowledge that they were finally over all her potion doses, the attack was now in the past and all things war-related were over. They were moving on, into the future, _together_. Severus stroked the warm skin of her back and after a few minutes Caterina began to stir in his arms.

"What time is it?" she asked as she rolled off him and stretched her body.

"Hmm…" he replied, glancing over for a long peek at her breasts. "We have about an hour to make ourselves presentable before needing to make an appearance at breakfast."

"Oh that's right, with all the students and you the headmaster. So… where- where will I sit?"

"_Beside_ me of course. Why ever would you ask that?" he answered, pulling her back onto himself once more.

"Well, I'm _not_ on staff and I'm also the first muggle to be roaming the halls and living in the castle."

"That does not matter. It might take the students a few days to get used to the idea and, if not, they'll have me to deal with."

Smiling happily at his protectively dangerous look, Caterina sighed and rested her head sweetly on his shoulder while watching out the windows. "It looks absolutely gorgeous outside today."

Severus sat up slightly and frowned. "I'm sorry, I promised you we'd go watch those flying on their brooms this morning."

"Don't worry about it," she said, stroking his cheek. "We'll have plenty of other chances. Plus, I've decided that it really can't be all that _great_, riding a flying broom. It's child's play."

Severus chuckled heartily, running his long fingers through her tangled curls. "Really? And why do you say that, my Love?"

Caterina squirmed up in his hold, closer to his ear and whispered hotly, "Because _I_ get to ride the headmaster and _nobody_ else can _ever _claim that spectacular feat."

Severus closed his eyes for a moment. "What's the least amount of time you need to get ready in?"

Caterina simply pulled his lips to hers as he quickly flipped her onto her back, settling between her legs with a long, lustful groan.

* * *

A/N: It's about time, don't you think that Severus got some proper recognition finally, along with all the proper rewards for his faithful and loyal services, you think? And wasn't that great to be able and rub it in their faces just a bit? Not only did he get the medals, he got the beautiful girl too! Heeheee! I think he thoroughly enjoyed that part bestest! LOL! Oh and Cat's song with Myron - I imagine it being something like_ Utopia_ by Sharon den Adel & Chris Jones.

I just wanted to say thanks again for all the wonderful comments and reviews! They always help me write a little faster! :) And an FYI, I recently started posting another SS/OC story, _In Fields of Purple Amarant_h, in case you'd like to check it out sometime. Have a wonderful, Snapey-filled weekend!


	55. Meant To Be

**Chapter 55**

**Meant To Be**

Standing behind him, Caterina rubbed Severus' shoulders, feeling all of his pent-up tension through his tightly knotted muscles. "Darling, you _need_ to relax, at least a little. You're doing so much right now, and it's only the first week. Things will get easier, once they've all settled in, don't you think?"

Severus gave a sort of grimace. "I suppose it's possible."

Signing his name to a document, he laid down his quill and vanished all the parchments from sight. Caterina, now having a much better working knowledge of magic, knew he'd simply returned them all to the headmaster's office, to be sent off by owl in the morning.

"There, I'm finished for this evening." Turning to Caterina, he took her small hand in his. "I am sorry to be bringing back all this work each evening. Just a few more days and the majority of it will be completed, though."

"Severus, I really don't mind. I just want you to relax at some point and take a break. You're going non-stop."

Smirking at her with a twisted grin, he yanked her down into his lap. "I _do_ relax. With you. _Every_ night." Severus punctuated each phrase with a kiss, working down her smooth, graceful neck. "Where would I be without you, in fact?"

"Well I certainly can't imagine _how_ you managed before me," she murmured into his neck, kissing it softly.

He let out a low growl as she nipped the bottom of his ear with her teeth. "Simple. Before you, I never bothered to even stop working. Now, let's go relax… _in bed_."

Caterina's hands flew up to begin undoing his shirt buttons as he stood, carrying her in his arms to their bed.

Early the next morning, Caterina jolted awake, with the same unsettling dream hanging in her mind. In it, she was flying again, until the throbbing pain started in her wrist. The dream was bothersome but she'd rather face it than the nightmares. At times, just as she was waking from the recurring dream, she would have a moment of seeming clarity over the images revolving around in her mind but as she tried to grasp onto them, they quickly slipped away. Thankfully, the horrid, disturbing nightmares were occurring less and less frequently and for that she was very grateful. The repeating dream was much easier to contend with than her nightmares had ever been.

Rolling over and stretching out her naked body under the warm sheets, her hand touched something soft in the place where Severus should have been. It was a long-stemmed, white rose on his pillow. She smiled lovingly and picked it up, knowing he'd gotten up before dawn again. He'd been plowing through a foot-high stack of paperwork, mostly from the Ministry, and all mostly files, related to start of term details involving the students, new courses and the curriculum. The Ministry had given more than a full month for the files' completion but Severus informed her that he was determined to finish them by the weekend so he could have them completely out of the way and devote more of his efforts back onto her.

Caterina twirled the gorgeous, full-blooming rose in her fingers and brought it to her lips, wondering if his goal was actually feasible, given all the student issues that had been cropping up, just in the first week alone. It had be expected and even anticipated that there would be some inter-house relational dilemmas between some students. And there certainly was _no_ shortage of them within the first week.

Watching the professors deal with the students and Severus coping with the abundant problems in the short time, she hoped things would soon level off, for everyone's sake. All the students probably needed time to adjust to the changes within the school and coursework, as well as to the more lenient stance Severus was able to hold, compared to his previous year as headmaster. One thing Caterina was extremely thankful for was that she finally felt much better since her potion doses were finished, allowing her to better focus on helping Severus, by getting him to relax and take some time away from the workload every so often. Just like she had last night, she thought to herself with a blushing smile.

Giggling over her successful endeavors in relaxing the headmaster, she stretched out once again before heading into the bathroom to shower. As she stood, Caterina felt something grab at her foot and she jumped with a shriek, only to see Widget run out from under their bed. Chuckling at the fluffy black cat, she was happy to see how well the little creature seemed to adapt to her new home at Hogwarts the past few weeks. It was as if the usually snobby fluffball had become a completely different cat, or part-kneazle, as Severus had explained that she was. Kneeling down and offering out her hand, Widget padded over, allowing Caterina to give her a long rub under her chin while she purred contentedly.

As September passed, the students began calming and acclimating into a certain harmony amongst themselves and within the new boundaries and guidelines that Hogwarts was being governed under. Caterina was exceptionally proud of Severus and how hard he'd worked with everyone. There were, of course, many times he still lost his temper but he always tried to keep it reigned in while in front of the students.

It was surprising to see how the students accepted Caterina, living there among them all, being a muggle, engaged to Severus no less. There was a whole hoard of rumors running through the students about her at first. Everything from him having her under a love potion, to him paying her great sums of money to act like she actually enjoyed his company in an effort to boost his overall image. But the longer the students observed the interactions between her and Severus, and that of the other professors and staff, they quickly came to the conclusion that it was truly real. The students started to smile warmly at her in the corridors, magically open doors for her or strive to entertain her with magical displays of their abilities.

The beginning of October brought Kingsley by for a visit, along with a formal proposal for Caterina. He met with her and Severus in the headmaster's office and offered her an official position within the newly formed Muggle Liaison Relations Office. Caterina was thrilled to finally have something more to fill her time with while Severus was teaching the advanced classes or dealing with students. And it would be exciting to help set to rights many odd and quirky beliefs that magical folk had come to believe in regards to muggles over the years.

As a moderate balance came for Severus in his headmaster duties, Minerva happily offered to fully assume the position most weekends, allowing him to take Caterina back to the cottage to spend time alone together. She had become unexpectedly attached to both of them, more than she ever could have imagined possible. Knowing that the past year apart had been quite treacherous and taxing on them both, she felt they deserved any chance they could get to spend time alone and uninterrupted.

One Friday in early October, Caterina made her way to the headmaster's office for a quiet lunch with Severus before he finished out his afternoon classes and they left for the cottage. Entering, she found Kingsley and Severus engaged in a debate over the reclassification of certain potions within the new Ministry guidelines. Severus believed they were being too stringent on limiting the use of several more volatile but important potions. Caterina was a welcomed sight to Severus' eyes and he hoped it would move the irritating Minister along on his way. Instead Kingsley lingered, making small talk about their wedding plans and inquiring on several propositions that she had been working on for the Liaison Office.

"Kingsley, some of _us_ would like to get our work done, _today_," Severus snarled between gritted teeth, after Kingsley's umpteenth question for Caterina.

Caterina smiled knowingly and stepped around the desk to place a calming arm around Severus' shoulders.

Kingsley just gave a smirk and laughed, "Trying to throw the Minister out, eh? Well, I was fancying a ride on my motorcycle this afternoon so I'll-"

Letting out a sharp gasp, Caterina's eyes widened and she pointed a shaking finger. "You- you and your motorcycle!"

Snapping his eyes up to her face, Severus awaited her explanation as Kingsley gave a quizzical frown. "What do you mean?"

"The dream I keep having, about flying… It's very hazy but it suddenly makes more sense. You took me for a ride once…"

Severus stood alarmed, his dark eyes piercing Kingsley's face momentarily before pulling Caterina closer to himself, searching her startled expression. She held out her wrist and rubbed it, frowning at it before looking up to the Minister.

"I passed out that day... after bumping helmets... you said…" she paused, looking at him for additional answers.

Kingsley Shacklebolt closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. "Actually no, you _didn't_." He made a face, shook his head and let it all come pouring out. "I, well, the truth is, you _flew_ off the bike when I took a sharp turn, breaking your wrist upon landing. I wasn't sure how you'd react to all the magic I had to perform to sort everything back to rights, so… so I obliviated your memory and modified it to believe you had just felt faint."

"You…did… _what_?" Severus asked in such a severe, articulated voice that it caused even Caterina to shudder.

"You know our laws, Severus… and I had to do intense magic in front of her. It was the best option I could come up with on short notice. I always regretted having to do so, but I was so relieved that you weren't hurt worse than a broken wrist and a few scrapes. I fixed your wrist, repaired the bike, set all to rights and that was that. I truly apologize for what was clearly a lapse in judgment at the time, I was in a tricky position though."

Severus let out a snarl and Caterina clasped her hands around his clenched fist before he could pound it into the desktop. "You did a very poor job of covering your tracks, seeing that her wrist was offset enough for them to catch it at St. Mungo's. And obviously your obliviating skills are apparently lacking as Caterina's memory of it has been attempting to resurface for weeks now," he answered in a tone laced with acidity and contempt.

Without a doubt, Severus was quite heated over the situation, though he and Caterina both experienced a great comfort in solving the mystery surrounding her wrist. And for once it was more of an innocent accident than the result of anyone else having tried to harm her. She was happy to have at least part of her recurring dream solved, though there were still parts left unexplained and seemingly unrelated to the incident with Kingsley.

Caterina was quicker to forgive Kingsley over Severus, who grumbled under his breath for quite awhile, despite the wizard's profuse apologies. When the Minister finally left, Caterina watched Severus' angry eyes practically bore a hole through the door after him. She knew it would take him some time to forgive Kingsley and warm up to him again. That was her Severus, always protective of her in every way, and she loved him dearly for it.

The next few weeks found Caterina busy with wedding plans. Their marriage news had found its way into the Daily Prophet and onto the front page no less, carrying a sweet candid shot of Caterina and Severus, taken on the evening of the ceremony. No real details were given other than it taking place over the Christmas holidays. The exact details of the when and where remained a closely guarded secret to all but a few.

Severus left all the planning up to Caterina, happily escorting her to all the places she requested in relation to her plans. All but that of her wedding dress. Minerva and Poppy were the ones strictly assisting her in that area when the seamstress would visit. Severus did not entirely understand the concept of not getting to see the dress or have any hint about it until she reminded him just how much he enjoyed seeing her dress choices when they were a surprise to him. After that, he began wondering about his own attire for their wedding and inquired over it with Caterina. Not being given to any fashion sense, he quickly decided that she would accompany him to select the most befitting choice from a fine wizard's clothier in Diagon Alley the next weekend.

Caterina felt most excited about venturing through the uniquely magical shops again and this time they would also be stopping by Gringotts. She'd wanted to transfer a large sum of money into Severus' account there. It had taken him time to get acquainted with the idea of also using her money. But Caterina had been adamant about it, explaining that her wealth was one of the things she'd inherited from her family and there was absolutely no reason to let it just sit and not use it to properly enjoy life with from time to time.

Visiting the men's clothing shop took much longer than Severus had ever anticipated. He'd never been properly fitted for his clothes before and by the time the encounter was over, Caterina had seductively coerced him into getting not just a new full suit and robes for their wedding but also several new sets of everyday wears as well. They were all strikingly similar to his traditional and generally refined look of solid black with the usual many tiny black buttons, though all of finer, richer feeling fabrics and materials.

Taking her to a quiet little café, hidden away from the general traffic of witches and wizards in Diagon Alley, they enjoyed a charming and relaxing lunch before heading off to the imposing wizarding bank. Severus kept a tight arm around Caterina, unsure of how she would react to the short, gruff goblins. He'd warned her to their unpleasantness when he'd explained how they protected the bank as compared to muggle banks. Watching her face, he could see her surprise over them but she managed herself as gracefully as always. Severus was in for his own shock upon finding out that with the addition of Caterina's money, despite being transferred and recalculated at the current exchange rate, he was going to need a larger vault.

Seeing his wide eyes as he looked at the new amount on the slip of parchment handed to him by the goblin, Caterina just chuckled. "And _that's_ not all of it. Jamison suggested that I leave a modest amount in my regular account as well, for times we venture into muggle places."

"Would you care to inspect the new vault, Mr. Snape?" asked the goblin, Hamishoff.

It had been years since he'd last taken a trip into the vast underground world of the goblin bank. He glanced at Caterina who looked positively intrigued and thrilled over the idea. Severus had once explained to Caterina that the experience was akin to riding on a muggle roller coaster, only safer as everything was held securely in place by strong magic. The next thing he knew, they were being led through a side door by Hamishoff and getting into a goblin-made cart. The ride through the deep, dim caverns was much wilder than Severus remembered but that might have been because he'd practically squeezed Caterina in two, holding her firmly in his lap, to and from the vault, regardless of how safe it was deemed to be by anyone.

Windswept, with flushed cheeks, she laughed with glee as the cart slowed on its return. "That was better than any roller coaster!" She snuggled back to kiss his lips. "Always the most amazing adventures with you."

With a playful smirk, he shook his head at her while sweeping a few of her long curls back into place. "I'm happy to oblige, though I feel best when you have your feet on solid ground."

They browsed through a few more shops of Diagon Alley before returning to the cottage for the rest of their weekend. Severus read over several owl posts he'd received as Caterina hummed about in the kitchen. He found it amusing and most endearing that she still insisted on cooking for him when they were there. He reminded her on several occasions that Stella would be more than delighted to take care of that task but Caterina would not hear of it and he enjoyed the special treatment from her.

Since discovering the truth about what had happened with Kingsley, Caterina's recurring dream had shortened but increased in its intensity. There was one part playing over and over again in her mind from the dream, though she had trouble putting it into words and describing it to Severus. It did not occur every night but it was appearing more and more, puzzling her.

They spent the last weekend in October, at the cottage as was now usual. Friday evening they enjoyed a lovely dinner with Jamison who stopped by for a visit. On Saturday, Severus and Caterina visited an old-fashioned stone wizarding church where she thought she wanted the wedding to be held. Minerva and Flitwick both had recommended it for its gorgeous, aesthetic surroundings. As beautiful as the castle was, she wanted something small and intimate in size with just their closer friends. Severus was more than happy to fulfill her wishes and once she saw the small church, Caterina was sure. They made all the proper arrangements that very day.

Caterina hummed and sang to herself all around the cottage that evening, even dancing about merrily as she was busy with their dinner. Severus loved watching her in such high spirits once more, wondering again how he'd become the luckiest man and wizard alive to have her as his own. They enjoyed a romantic dinner by candlelight and shared a bottle of fine wine by the fire afterwards, until Severus was entirely overcome with the need to show her just how lucky he felt that she was his, carrying her off to their bed and making passionate love to her.

Some hours later, Caterina woke in his tender embrace, gasped and bolted upright in bed. It was the middle of the night but, feeling overwhelmed with an urgent need, she roughly shook Severus awake. Sitting up, he swiftly drew his wand and lit the room to see what his Love desperately required. Her blue eyes held a strange, almost out of focus sort of gaze but she did not appear to be scared.

"What is it Caterina? Was it another nightmare?" he asked, taking her lovely face in his warm hands, forcing her to look at him.

"No… it's ah, well, I think I figured something out," she said slowly.

"What?"

Looking all around the room, she suddenly slid off the bed, pulled on her silk robe, tying it snuggly at her waist and sliding her feet into her shoes. "We _need_ to go."

"Go _where_?"

"Back to Hogwarts. To your office, the headmaster's office," she answered in a firm, determined tone.

Getting up as well, he pulled on a pair of pants, quickly dressing. Then he summoned his heavy black cloak. It was almost November and he would not have her roaming Hogwarts in thin silk. Questions piled up in his mind but he held them back as he secured his cloak around her shoulders. Caterina rarely acted as such but he knew if she were on the verge of solving something, he would let her explain as she could without distracting her with pressing questions. She looked up and smiled softly as he wrapped his strong arms around her, apparating them directly to his office.

Not until Severus ignited the fireplace and lighted all the candles, did he allow her out of his arms. He suspected that she was wanting to talk to Dumbledore's portrait but instead she turned away, carefully making her way across the room. Caterina circled the small tables and stands, running her small white hand gently over many different items. Her eyes flitted about, up and down the countless bookcases that lined the walls, searching out something.

Most of the portraits curiously watched her as Severus talked quietly with Dumbledore's, pausing each time he heard her let out a small eager sigh or a soft startled gasp. Caterina stopped once to stare questioningly up into Dumbledore's twinkling eyes, to which he simply grinned and nodded. Continuing on in her wandering of the office, Severus' black eyes stayed fixedly on her. Finally, she uttered a shriek and excitedly called Severus over after almost twenty minutes.

"I need you to open this, I can't seem to lift the lid," she told him, pointing to the plain cedar box she'd once before been so enamored with.

He'd never given the little box a second thought since then but, without questioning her, he pulled out his wand to unseal it magically. Nothing happened. Severus tried several other spells as Caterina nervously tapped her nails on the little table. No matter what he tried, nothing would open the box. Growing agitated with it, he attempted to pick it up and found it could not be lifted off the round table. Caterina gave him a strange, thoughtful look and turned back to Dumbledore's portrait. The former headmaster's amused grin held firm and he merely shrugged his shoulders.

Stroking over the top of the dark brown box with her index finger, she shut her brilliant blue eyes tight as if fiercely concentrating. When Caterina opened them again, a happy smile spread across her face. Without a word, she took both of Severus' hands in hers and placed them on top of the box, entwining her fingers in his. They both stared down at the box, Caterina expectantly and Severus warily. He felt almost sure her action would accomplish nothing. After a few seconds, though, the box grew warm and shimmered before glowing a bright silvery-green at the same moment that the locket around her neck glowed golden. A small 'pop' sounded, and in unison, they removed their hands as the lid sprang open on its own.

Caterina now wore a triumphant smile as she gazed up at Severus. She slipped her arm into his and he carefully picked up the box to examine its contents. On top sat a thick cream-colored envelope with Severus and Caterina's names scrawled across the front.

Severus touched a finger to it and studied their names. "That's my mother's writing."

"Really?" asked Caterina. "I honestly had no idea what to expect, I just had the strongest feeling that there was something in the office that needed to be found by _us_."

She gave his arm a tug and led him over to the sofa by the blazing fireplace. Together they sat. He perched the open box upon his leg before opening the envelope and withdrawing several pages of parchment. Caterina snuggled up close to him so she could easily read over them, as Severus began reading aloud.

_"My dearest son Severus and sweetest Caterina,_

_The day you both read this together, know that it is the day I will most truly be at peace and find rest for my soul. I know I will have long been gone but I am smiling now with tears of joy as I write this, holding to the firm knowledge that you eventually found each other and, despite all obstacles, are happy now and much in love. The next few pages shall explain everything and hopefully answer all of your many questions, even those you didn't know you had._

_Please understand I did none of this lightly. I spent many years debating if and what role I should play or if I even had the right to ever try and interfere in your lives at all. But I did, deciding that not everything should be left to chance and fate alone. I'd been given a great gift and it would not go unused, knowing it was possibly the only way to save the life of my only son._

_My story starts during my final year at Hogwarts with what I long believed to be a series of strange repeated dreams, though I soon realized these dreams were actually visions. Visions of things from the future and not unlike that of a seer, but yet only of events and circumstances all relating around a tall, pale man with long black hair and black piercing eyes. It took me months to riddle out that it was in fact my very own son whom I had yet to even give birth to. It was you, Severus. I saw you as a young boy and even as a baby, well before you were born. I saw many different versions of how the future would play out around you, all of them leading to a tragic end, all except one._

_I contacted the only person who I felt I could trust not to misuse my visions. I went to Albus Dumbledore, who had become headmaster during my time at Hogwarts. Despite giving him very limited details about my visions, he was quite willing to help me. And with his assistance, I stood back and carefully watched as the future unfolded around you, many times just as my visions had long shown._

_After you were born, Severus, another person began appearing in my visions and though it took several more years to figure out, I discovered it was you, Caterina. It was then that many things fell into place and started to make sense to me concerning the future. I foresaw many terrible events happening to you both, but at the end of it all, I was able to witness the love the two of you would have for each other was stronger and far greater than all else, stronger than anything that could ever threaten to destroy you._

_Yes, I did encounter visions that showed you both finding others to live out the remainder of your lives with, but they were much shorter and greatly unfulfilled lives, ending far sooner than they should have. So I took the chance. I set certain events into motion that would, one day, hopefully lead you both to find your unwavering and unfaltering love in each other. The reward of that alone was worth risking everything in my own life to bring you both into that future, one that was together._

_Over the next few pages, I will explain things in far greater detail. But, for now, I just want the two of you to understand that, even though I am no longer with you, I love you both and my actions were done only to ever reflect that love._

_All my love to you both._

_Your mother and friend,_

_Eileen Prince Snape"_

Slowly Severus lowered the pages into his lap, attempting to take in all that he'd just read. Hearing a quiet sniff, he looked at Caterina, his sweet Love, who had silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Seeing hers caused his own eyes to burn for several moments, thinking through what his mother had done and he held Caterina tight to himself. He gently kissed her forehead and wiped away the tears, conjuring a handkerchief for her.

Caterina nestled into his chest for a long minute until she collected her thoughts. "I bet- I bet you anything, Severus, that somewhere in these pages, we'll discover it was her that gave up her life to give me the protective spell."

"Yes, it was she who did such for Caterina's protection."

They both whirled around on the sofa to face Dumbledore's portrait. He was wiping a tear from his own eyes and nodding.

"I remember her first visit with me as if it were only yesterday. And we had many more after that." He spoke fondly. "She was always very careful about revealing too much information concerning the future but with what I already knew of things myself, and the little extra she provided, I knew to take it in with all manner of seriousness."

He paused to remove his spectacles for cleaning. "Her visions became that of a burden as well as a blessing. Indeed, they were the main cause of the rift between your father and her. For, after you were born, she was continually seeking out what might come to you. 'Tis but a great downside to receiving glimpses of the future: one can become almost dependent upon them before ever being able to decide on any course of action, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant in the grand scheme of things."

Caterina gave an understanding nod at that. "How much were you actually aware of, relating to Severus and I?"

"Very little. As I said, she kept most details well guarded. I was only told a beautiful girl with cascading curls and vivid blue eyes would, some day, become the most important key to Severus' survival but I did not know how. She also informed me that, one day long before the girl ever showed up, Severus himself would come to me, seeking atonement for the early mistakes of his youth."

Dumbledore repositioned his spectacles on his nose. "She implored me, for the safety and future of the Wizarding World, not to turn him away. I had some confusion as to her meaning but by the time Severus did seek me out, I understood _all_, with perfect clarity, mind you."

"The day you showed up at his door, well, I just happened to be there but when I saw you again, I knew it had not been due to mere chance. Eileen knew it would happen that way." He smiled at the memory. "I encouraged Severus as I thought I should, but I suspected much more than that was not needed. Severus did worry me some the next year but he quickly saw to straightening that out, again with only a little prodding on my part."

Severus briefly closed his eyes, hating the reminder of having ever attempted to abandon Caterina. Pulling her close again, he nuzzled his face into her thick curls. His mind was still trying to comprehend everything, including his mother's selfless sacrifice to save Caterina for him.

Caterina tilted her head up to view Dumbledore completely in his portrait. "Wait. You said, saw me _again_?"

Dumbledore cleared his throat before he spoke. "You were there for her death, Caterina, as was I, though you do not remember much of what _really_ happened that night and you have no memory of my presence. You had to be there for the spell to work as strongly as it did on you."

"I myself did not know she had planned to perform the Uno Protetto spell that night on you, but I knew she'd searched it out for many years and it was for my assistance that she'd invited me to be there. She was dying, of what disease, she never told me, only that she wanted her death to mean something. That was also when she actually told you of magic and set you on the task of returning the locket to Severus. Afterwards, I performed a heavy memory charm, leaving the latent memory of magic in the back of your mind but leaving you unable to speak of it. I also left a memory trigger for seeing this box again but it was Eileen who made it so it would only open at yours and Severus' touch, together."

Caterina let out small sob and sagged completely against Severus, her tears threatening to return in earnest again. "It's all so unbelievable… what she endured, what she put upon herself… all for us. And we can't even begin to thank her."

Taking a deep breath, Severus cupped his hands around her face. "If I understand everything correctly, I think she saw just how thankful we are and will always be for what she did to bring us together."

He softly kissed her lips and then rested his forehead against hers for a long, quiet moment, just trying to absorb it all.

They soon went back to reading over the rest of his mother's pages, both with somber hearts as they further discovered her reasons for doing all that she did, even briefly explaining several visions she'd had of the two of them. She'd seen Severus' attempt to sever ties with Caterina, Severus' killing of Dumbledore and the attack on Caterina at the mansion. Her words sounded heartbroken as she begged Severus and Caterina not to hate her for never being able to properly warn them, knowing it might have dire consequences and ultimately change the future again by doing so. By the end, they both sat holding each other close while just beginning to truly fathom Eileen's sacrifices.

Upon further inspection of the box, they found it held several more Prince family mementos Severus thought were long gone, along with a few family photos from Severus' childhood and several family documents that he'd never been able to locate. There were also several more letters that Eileen had written to Severus throughout the years that she'd never given to him, but saved in the box.

Caterina wiped the flowing tears from her eyes once more as she pulled Severus' face close to hers and smiled. "This also explains something else, Severus."

"What's that?"

"The reason I've always felt so drawn to you, even when we were little. We were _always_ meant to be together. It never would have felt this _right_, being with anyone else."

"I think you're correct. I always interpreted it as an unexplained irritation when we were younger but, looking back, I see just how foolish I really was. And simply put, we do belong. _Together_."

* * *

A/N: What a discovery, huh? *sniff, sniff* Many of you rightly guessed that it was Eileen who'd given the protective spell to Caterina but there was so much more surrounding the decision behind it all and now you know. The incident with Kingsley and the motorcycle took place in chapter 22 ~ Some Memories Last Forever, even despite attempts to obliviate them away! ;)

Many chocolate hugs to those of you who have added _A Place for My Heart _to your favorites and alerts! Thanks for all the wonderfully kind and sweet reviews! I'm thrilled so many are enjoying the story! Now, only about 5 more chapters to go. :)


	56. Once in a Lifetime

A/N: Well, here it is! And it's about time too, wouldn't you say? I've had a hard time with this, just getting all teary-eyed while writing - it's taken a lot to finally get here! I'm not usually so completely sappy but _A Place for My Heart _has been with me for a long time and, now that the end of the story is near, I feel like my 'baby' is growing up and leaving me. *sniff, sniff* Am I completely mental for feeling like that? LOL

I just want to again thank everyone for all the great support and encouragement you've given me on this story! Every comment is truly treasured, I assure you and I hope you all continue to let me know what you think of it as it is wrapping up now. I may need the extra encouragement to finish it off as my mind is greatly resisting that thought. But it can't go on forever so... ;) Please share some love if you've enjoyed this story at some point!

~Wendy :)

* * *

**Chapter 56**

**Once in a Lifetime**

Severus leaned his head back against the mirrored wall and stared at the beautiful form of Caterina as she twirled gracefully from one end of the studio to the other, in time with the soft, flowing music. She'd explained to him before what the different moves and jumps were called, but, frankly, he just enjoyed watching the way she could bend and stretch so elegantly and effortlessly. She was just so relaxing to watch and he would put anything else aside to do so. Caterina claimed she was quite out of shape from the events of the past few months, though he certainly couldn't tell. Letting out a contented sigh, he couldn't help but think back on how everything had unfolded between them over the last few years. It left him almost speechless at times.

With the recent discovery of his own mother's sacrifices, he was experiencing what he guessed must be a new level of emotions concerning his mother and many things in his life now. He was beginning to understand just why there had never been any type of bonding or close family ties between them. Eileen Prince never wanted to form relationships with anyone, at the risk of revealing what she felt she so desperately needed to keep secret. And she had never left her husband for fear of taking Severus away from the place he needed to come back to someday to find Caterina. His mother had given up a life of her own. For _him_. For _them_.

Feeling a gentle touch on his shoulder, he was pulled out of his musings as his black eyes looked up to find Caterina standing above him. He looked her over in her simple, black ballet outfit. It was slightly off the shoulders, scooped down in the front and back with a sheer, thin, black skirt attached around the waist. And as usual, when she was practicing, her legs were bare and on her feet were black satiny slippers that laced up past her ankles.

He gave a small smirk at remembering the very first time he'd seen her in something similar and she was just as beautiful now as she had been then. "I was lost in a thought, watching you. You aren't finished for this evening? I was rather enjoying the private show."

Caterina let out a breathless chuckle as she dropped down to the floor on her knees beside him and winked. "_You_ always get a private show, mister. Actually," she leaned in close to him, "I was wondering if a certain tall, dark and handsome wizard would care to dance with me?"

Severus arched an eyebrow, drew a serious expression and pointedly looked all around the room, in search of someone else, until Caterina gave him a playful punch in the arm.

"Hmm, it would appear I'm the only one available, so would you be willing to settle for me, madam?" he replied in his deep, silky baritone.

Taking his offered hand, she gave him a tiny frown as he stood and pulled her back to her feet. "I'll have you know, I hardly consider it 'settling'. You're the absolute best and no one could dare _come close _to comparing with you, my Love."

She rested her head against his chest and hugged him tight before turning to look adoringly up into his face. He simply kissed her forehead and began to lead her around the room as the music changed on its own to suit their dance. Severus never enjoyed dancing and felt extremely awkward doing so, yet with Caterina he realized it was something he didn't mind so much. She was a natural, of course, at most any form of dance and that made it easier for him with her gentle coaching, but he felt especially terrible when he accidentally tread on her toes. Caterina said he was greatly improving over the past few weeks, though he didn't know if he believed her entirely.

"You know what I'm really excited about?" Caterina said excitedly as her blue eyes twinkled up at him. "I can't wait to dance with you at our wedding."

Severus appeared quite taken aback. "There's going to be dancing at our wedding?"

Caterina giggled at his horrified expression. "Severus, darling, almost every wedding has dancing."

"Guess I haven't really been to many weddings in my time." He gave a deep chuckle and paused in his steps. "Has this been what these evenings have all been about? Improving my dancing skills for our wedding?"

"Severus, even if all you did was stand there and sway, I'd still insist that we dance at our wedding. At least once… it's just romantic."

He knew exactly how much it meant to her, despite her saying so. "You won't have to insist because I will most certainly dance with you on our wedding day."

"Even though there will be others watching?"

Severus closed his eyes momentarily, shook his head and took a deep breath. "Yes, despite the fact that others will be watching…"

"You do know they won't actually be watching you, right? I mean, after all everyone - "

Severus held their hands up together as Caterina went into a short spin, ending with her back pressed to his chest. "I know, I know. Slughorn has already made it known to me, _many_ times over, that absolutely everyone's eyes are on the bride and her dress at a wedding." Severus leaned down close to her ear and gently kissed up the side of her neck while his hands dropped down to hold her hips. "Including _mine_."

"Yours are the only ones that matter, so they better be."

Their dancing slowed to a stop as Caterina arched her head to the side, allowing Severus' lips easier access to her neck.

Her bright blue eyes flitted around the room, enjoying his warm touch. "I'm still utterly amazed how much this enchanted room in the castle makes itself look just like my dance studio from the mansion, right down to the very last detail… well, with the exception of that black suede couch there in the corner. I never had one in mine and you've still yet to explain why it appears each time."

Severus paused in his kisses down her collarbone, causing her to shiver and he gave her a wicked grin in the mirrors. "Perhaps it'd be best if I showed you,,, instead of just explaining."

"I think I like where this is headed," Caterina moaned softly.

Severus spun her around to face him as he let his fingers trail from her shoulders and down along her back to grip her firm, round backside. " _I_ know for a fact, _I _like where this is headed… right to a dream come true for me…."

* * *

The last few weeks before holiday break were filled with countless appointments concerning their wedding plans. Caterina was positively bouncing and bubbling with excitement over it all as Severus realized he couldn't wait to snatch her away after it all and finally relax, just the two of them, on their honeymoon. And just as Caterina refused to give him any hints about her wedding gown, he refused to budge on details of where they were going for two whole delightful weeks.

As the last few days of term approached for the students, Severus didn't care if he and Caterina ended up in Antarctica, for the entire school appeared to have lost its head as a whole and he wanted to be far from it for a change. The children were all itching to get started on their own holidays as well, and he'd had what seemed an unending stream, pouring through his office, giving lectures about behavior and setting detentions for stupid and careless stunts students were pulling on others.

Finally, the last day for the students arrived, and Severus was only too glad to send them off on their way home. It was a very rare occasion where all students were returning home for the holidays but with the war having ended that previous summer, emotional sentiments on family-bonding time was at an all-time high for many wizarding families alike.

Minerva came to summon Severus and Caterina once the castle was empty that afternoon and led them to a small room near the Great Hall. Upon opening the door, they discovered it nearly overflowing with wrapped packages of every shape and size, and a stack of cards that reached up taller than Caterina.

"Oh my heavens, there looks to be several hundred!" exclaimed Caterina as she reached out to touch a sparkling silver box. "Are they all for us?"

Severus pulled her hand back and looked sharply to Minerva for confirmation.

"It would appear that way. Many were left by the students, and some began arriving earlier in the week via owl post. I instructed the house-elves to start piling them in here as they came through for you."

Minerva soon left them and Caterina glanced all around, feeling mesmerized by it all. "Severus, that's so sweet of everyone, especially the students."

She reached for a gift but, again, Severus stopped her. "I would prefer to check over them all first, for any hidden hexes or unfriendly charms, before you handle any of them."

"Severus! They're mostly from students, you don't really believe any would bear us ill-will, do you?" inquired Caterina.

"From most, _no_. But I do know there are quite a few who are rather mischievous and wouldn't be too far put out with a small practical joke or small gag for the laugh." He pulled out his wand and stood with it poised in the air. "And there may be a wizard or two outside of these walls who might take this as an opportunity to send something dangerous."

Stepping closer to him, Caterina studied his face with wide eyes. "Such as…?"

"I have a few names in mind and since I only have one of _you_, Caterina, you'll have to indulge my wary and untrusting nature over this matter." Severus gaze was serious and stern.

She simply nodded and stood behind him, wrapping her arms around his protective figure and pressing into his back while he ran through no less than a dozen spells, attempting to discover any present that had been sent with less than honorable intentions. After a short while, there was a small pile of about eight packages and ten envelopes that had separated themselves from the rest of the gifts. She watched with interest as Severus carefully used his wand to open those items and was relieved to find all were annoying but well-meaning gags from students.

"That's not too bad, considering the number of students that there are," Caterina ventured with a laugh.

Severus just shook his head and rolled his eyes before vanishing a card that kept screaming 'ball and chain' while making terrible clanging sounds. Caterina then stepped over to inspect the large pile of gifts once more. A beautiful brilliant emerald-green wrapped package with a large ornate black and silver bow caught her eye. She flipped over the small tag that hung off of it by a fringed black tassel.

"Severus, I think you should see this one," Caterina called out immediately, stepping back away from it as a precaution.

Joining her, he saw the one she pointed toward and read the writing. "Narcissa and Draco Malfoy… well, let's see what they decided would live up to the wealthy Malfoy name for a wedding gift and if it's even safe."

He gave several waves of his wand and the package lifted into the air before them, slowly unwrapping itself. After a long minute, an odd shaped bowl of crackled crystal lifted out of the box. It had a scalloped edge, lined with gold and three small gold-covered feet. While it wasn't the most beautiful piece of crystal Caterina had ever laid eyes on, it was certainly unique. Severus hit it with a variety of spells, trying to reveal any unseen properties of a dangerous fashion. Finally he grasped it in his hands, closely looked it over and then unceremoniously dropped it, watching with mild interest as it shattered into thousands of tiny shards all over the floor.

"Hmm, that's most interesting… and odd."

"Severus! Why did you - "

He pointed down. "Watch closely."

The countless shards began to wiggle and rattle, until suddenly they all moved at once and flew back together, instantly reforming the bowl.

"Did you…?" Caterina asked.

"No, I didn't fix it and that's the only hidden spell I can find on the bowl, other than what's on the gold parts. It's goblin-made gold, interestingly enough, so quite expensive. Odd spell, though, as I'd expect it to just be shatter-resistant."

Caterina smiled knowingly. "Narcissa Malfoy raised a son…."

Severus turned to her with a questioning look. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It's baby-proof, you could say." Caterina arched a brow.

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning that if you were a little toddling boy and you decided to throw mummy's bowl along with a temper tantrum, the moment it shattered, you'd run and hide, knowing you'd be in a heap of trouble. And you'd probably learn your lesson the first time round with a little scolding." Caterina bent down to pick up the bowl, settling it back into its box. "Though, I'm not sure we'll be displaying this for that lesson."

He still looked somewhat confused. "What lesson is that?"

"Not everything in life can be protected by shatter-resistant charms. At least they weren't in my house growing up."

"But we don't have a… a baby, toddling around," he said quietly, trying not to swallow so hard.

Giggling, Caterina placed her hands upon his chest and kissed his cheek. "No we don't… _yet_."

* * *

Saturday morning arrived crisp and beautiful with a fresh blanket of pure white, sparkling snow covering everything in sight. Severus was barely dressed and on his feet for two seconds before a loud knock sounded at their door.

Caterina stretched and sat up in bed with a radiant smile. "You _know_ that's no less than Minerva and Poppy, and I'll bet Sybill and Pomona are with them, ready to shoo you away since you refused to leave me with them last night."

"Well they all should have known I would _refuse_ such an inane and ridiculous tradition… whoever heard of such a stupid thing… spending the night apart before the wedding," Severus growled, collecting his wedding clothes.

"You know in some places, it's more like a week, a month or even longer still. And in a few places, couples aren't supposed to sleep together at all before the marriage," Caterina informed him with a laugh.

Severus snorted loudly. "I was the perfect gentleman, and I kept my hands off anything that wasn't mine."

Caterina threw a pillow at him and broke into giggles. "It's a good thing no one's going to dust my body for fingerprints then."

Severus dropped his things on the couch and strode back over to sit by her on the bed, taking her face between his hands. "I _promise_ I left not an inch of you untouched."

"I believe you," Caterina whispered back to him, breathlessly. "You know, I would have been perfectly safe with them, still being in the castle. Though, I'll admit, it would have been very strange to spend even one night not in your arms."

Severus leaned in closer, slowly brushing his lips across hers, down along her cheek and stopping them against her ear to whisper. "That's _exactly_ my point. Plus, I vowed to myself the day I got you back, Caterina, we would _never_ spend another night apart for anything. And I do _not_ intent to break that promise for any reason whatsoever, nor for any silly and pointless tradition. Is that clear, my Love?"

"As crystal," she said before turning to press her lips to his.

Another loud knock came at the door to which Severus groaned. "Is your trunk packed and ready?"

"As ready as it's going to be since you would barely tell me what weather conditions to expect for where we're going."

"Perfect. I'll send them on ahead."

"Toooo…?" Caterina tried innocently.

"To where we're going, my Love," he answered with a smirk and a kiss to her forehead.

With a wave of his hand, two small trunks snapped shut and stacked themselves by the door as Severus' suit flew into his waiting hand. He slid his free hand around to grip the back of Caterina's head and gave her a long, heated kiss until yet another knock pounded at the door.

He gave a sharp snarl as he pulled back from her lips. "A minute longer and I suspect they'll just blast it off, the infernal, meddling creatures. Now I expect to see you at twelve sharp and not a second later than that."

"I wouldn't be late for anything, I promise, Love."

Severus opened the door to find not only the four women Caterina had guessed but also the seamstress, hair stylist and several exuberant looking house-elves with Stella standing proudly at the front of them all.

Minerva's stern expression didn't budge at Severus' dark narrowed eyes. "You're cutting it a wee bit close! We've a lot to do to get her ready on time, now off with yourself! Kingsley should be bringing Jamison along any moment now and Hagrid and Slughorn are waiting for ya. Said they're ready to help ya through any bouts of cold feet you might get."

Severus growled and rolled his eyes. "Cold feet my ass! What do they take me for?"

Unexpectedly, Minerva's eyes welled up and she threw her arms around Severus, pulling him into a quick motherly hug with a pat on the back. "Honestly you! I never would have believed this day for anything but I'm extremely happy for you." She gave him a shove toward the door. "Now get out!"

"I'm out!" he shot back at her before poking a peek back in the open doorway and winking at Caterina.

Caterina snickered and blew him a kiss while four wands were drawn and aimed in his direction.

Narrowing his eyes, Severus arched a sharp brow and walked off muttering loudly, "As I said before… infernal, meddling creatures."

The door flew shut behind him and several of the witches waved their wands, putting up what Caterina could only guess to be wards and charms, should Severus and any others attempt to sneak back for a peek, with the exception of Jamison. Once Caterina showered, she was plunged into a bevy of unending attention and assistance. There wasn't a single item or task overlooked under Minerva's keen direction. Little Stella was totally beside herself to be a part of it all, and several times Caterina saw her wiping big happy tears from her bright green eyes. The other elves were almost as excited and followed their orders with complete delight and diligence, from bringing Caterina her breakfast to fetching random last minute objects needed from around the castle.

The time seemed to fly by and after a few short hours, Caterina was pronounced ready, from the last perfect curl on her head, right down to the glittering gleam of the sparkling hem of her wedding gown. Just before Poppy went to retrieve Jamison from the rest of the men, Minerva sent the other witches on to the church to prepare for Caterina's arrival and to watch out for any last minute peeking from Severus. Minerva wasn't about to give him any chances, despite Caterina's reassurances he wouldn't dare do such a thing so close to the time before she would walk down the aisle.

Minerva checked the time and announced they had fifteen minutes until they too would leave for the church. "That gives us just under thirty minutes there to make the necessary adjustments or fixes should you desire any."

A soft knock came at the door and once Jamison entered, Minerva left them to tidy up and double-check her schedule. Jamison didn't say a word, but rather pulled a large, flat black velvet box from his inside jacket pocket. Opening it revealed an ornately detailed diamond teardrop necklace with dangling earrings and a bracelet to match.

Caterina gasped and Jamison gave a low chuckle. "Do you remember them at all?"

Carefully she touched the necklace, running her finger over its fine details as a strange look crossed over her face. "Vaguely… my mother's?"

"Indeed, given to her by your father, in celebration of your birth. You probably never saw the set much, they were her absolute favorites, though she only wore them on very special occasions and kept them in the bank vault." Jamison lifted out the necklace and gently fastened it around her neck. "I know you planned to wear her pearls but I set these aside several years ago for you, as a surprise just for this very day."

She blinked back several very large tears as Jamison helped her with the rest of the jewelry pieces. Then he led her over to the large, full-length wall mirror, conjured earlier by the helpful witches. Caterina could only gasp at the end result of the added jewels.

"Oh Caterina, you look every bit the stunning princess. Those diamonds work perfectly." Jamison said softly, taking her hands in his and pulling her close. "I want you to know that despite how honored I am to walk you down the aisle today, if things were different, well, I know without a doubt in my mind, Severus would have your father and your mother's blessing, in its entirety, in taking your hand in marriage. And Drew certainly would have approved as well. He's a good man… er, wizard and he'll take only the very best care of you."

Caterina completely choked on her words and grabbed hold of Jamison around the neck, squeezing him tight. "It's - it's the o-only thing I have to be s-sad about, none of them b-being here for this, today."

Jamison gently rocked her, fishing out his handkerchief while chiding himself for causing her tears so close to the time they were to leave. "They're all smiling and watching over you today, Caterina darling. They couldn't be happier."

Caterina nodded, dabbing at her eyes, then she let out a small gasp and sniffed. "Along with Severus' mother."

He patted her back and soothed her for a few minutes longer, until he carefully pulled away. "Oh dear, now let's see what sort of damage I've caused that Minerva will have my head for?"

In spite of her tears, Caterina giggled. "There should be none at all. They set everything with magic, factoring in tears, of course, Minerva's idea."

He looked her over and saw she was correct. "Why you eyes hardly even appear red, and your tears didn't smudge a thing. Amazing!"

They talked for several more minutes before Minerva reappeared with Stella and five other house elves in tow. Giving a gentle knowing nod of her head over the emotional outburst, she patted Caterina's shoulder and then nervously smoothed out an invisible crease in her wedding gown.

Caterina gave a slight frown. "I just realized something, I know you fixed everything up magically, but how do we travel to the church without anything being -"

Minerva held up her hand. "It's all arranged and taken care of, dearie, and that's what the house elves are here to assist with. They'll be transporting you with their magic. You won't feel a thing and not a single hair will move out of place."

As she spoke, the six little elves circled around Caterina and stretched out their arms. "Stella, you know just where to go and I'll apparate in, immediately after with Jamison."

Stella nodded importantly. Caterina watched with great interest as a soft glow began to connect all the elves, flowing between their outstretched hands. There was a quick flash and the next thing Caterina knew she was standing in the side waiting room of the church. She hadn't felt so much as a gentle rush of air from their transport but the elves were nowhere to be seen now. It had been the easiest, magical form of travel she'd experienced and was grateful not to have felt the odd pull of apparating nor contend with the dust of floo powder that day.

The moment Caterina appeared, everyone bustled around her once more, checking over her hair, her makeup and straightening out her dress. Just adding her veil was the final touch. Pomona Sprout stepped forward with Caterina's bouquet of fresh white roses, straight from the Hogwarts greenhouses. The little stubby witch had proudly grown all of the wedding flowers with great care during the past few weeks. The flowers were all normal and non-magical, with the exception of a bit of glittering diamond dust that Pomona had charmed everything with.

Soon everyone had taken their places as the music flowed effortlessly from the string quartet and Minerva whispered a few last minute reminders for the two of them. Jamison and Caterina were positioned behind the doors and, at exactly the first stroke of twelve noon, the doors opened to reveal Caterina Clarkstone to all those waiting, and most importantly, to Severus Snape.

There was a collective gasp that came from the crowd and Severus alike upon seeing Caterina through the opened doors. For her spectacularly designed wedding gown was a brilliant crimson satin, with a subtle iridescence to the fabric, causing it to shimmer lightly as she moved. The sleeveless bodice was perfectly fitted to her and studded with a delicate and beautifully woven pattern of white, shining diamonds all the way down to her waist, where the dress billowed out in yards of puckered gatherings. Each pucker was held in place by a small flourished appliqué of diamonds, adding to the overall sparkle when Caterina moved. The back of the bodice exposed much of her smooth back and had corset lacings just above her waist, leading out behind her in a long, stunning cathedral length train, full of glittering gatherings.

Caterina's long curls were gently pinned up around her head by tiny real, glittered roses, with many long, perfectly formed curls dangling down around her neck and down her back. Her veil was set with a diamond crown laced with miniature crimson roses and buds, glittered as well, and made of a thin, gorgeous lace. The veil hung to just past her bust in the front and trailed down her back to just below her waist.

Severus couldn't move upon seeing his Love walk down the rose petal covered aisle toward him. And it was a rare moment where he was left utterly speechless, transfixed by the mere sight of the beauty that was soon to be his wife. Jamison stopped just before him, reached up and touched the front of her veil, the front of which vanished away to fully reveal Caterina. Giving her a swift kiss on the cheek, he lifted her hands over for Severus to take in his.

"She's just like a princess, isn't she?" Jamison whispered.

"No… she's not," came Severus' quiet reply. "She's the most beautiful woman in the world."

Caterina just beamed with joy, her twinkling blue eyes locked into the deep black pools of Severus' eyes. Jamison left the couple to take his seat and the music softened as the minister started to speak. It was a lovely ceremony, binding them forever together through the strength of their passion and their unending devotion to each other by the strongest magical bond of all, that of their unfailing love.

When they were proclaimed husband and wife, Severus lifted her off the floor in his passionate kiss while the roar of approval from the small crowd was unbelievably loud. After a round of photos inside the church, the happy couple made their way outside for a few in the lovely setting around them, enhanced by the new snowfall. Severus placed a warming charm around Caterina so she didn't feel the cold. The red of her wedding gown and the black of Severus' suit made for a striking and wonderful contrast against the snowy surroundings. Despite Severus' warming charm, Minerva quickly brought Caterina her wedding cloak and draped it around her shoulders. It was made from finely woven white cashmere and the edges were trimmed in soft fluffy fur with a shiny diamond encrusted clasp.

There were several more photos and Caterina was quite surprised over Severus' lack of protest. He normally detested even having one taken, let alone many. But his face was pleasantly happy and held no concealed irritation that even she could find for knowing him better than anyone else. She did however notice that whenever his eyes were not eagerly trained on her, they were looking down, admiring the intricate silver band now encircling his finger. Catching him staring at it once more, she grabbed his hand and sweetly kissed the top of it.

He grinned sheepishly. "I can't believe how much I enjoy wearing this ring you chose. I kind of worried for awhile that I might find it an odd feeling, to have something constantly there…."

They soon joined their waiting guests in a large domed tent just behind the church. Upon entering it, one would never have known it was a tent with its solid seeming walls and richly appointed decorations and elegant furnishings in black and white with brilliant splashes of crimson. Everyone cheered loudly at the introduction of Mr. and Mrs. Severus Snape, raising glasses of bubbly champagne in toast. There were many congratulations offered as they chatted with their wedding guests. Caterina was pleased that even though she didn't remember everyone's names, she did recognize all of the faces from the members of the Order of the Phoenix to a few officials from the Ministry of Magic, as well as several of the healers and assistants from St. Mungo's.

After enjoying a scrumptious and light meal, Severus stood tall, taking the hand of his gorgeous bride. He led her over to the small dance floor and Caterina settled in snuggly against him as a slow love song began playing. As everyone looked on, they started to glide effortlessly around the floor, lost in a world all of their own.

Severus held a face of awe, mixed with a fair bit of smugness. "You know there are many times I can't believe this - you - are completely real. Especially today."

Caterina giggled and stretched up on her toes to kiss his lips. "I feel exactly the same way, most of the time, as well, Severus. It's a little bit like living through a real fairy tale. With all the magic and a real castle, not to mention the fantastical creatures… and, of course," she paused, giving a little shiver, "the evil henchmen, though they can now be forgotten. But…."

"But what?" Severus asked, squeezing her as tightly to himself as he dared.

Reaching up, Caterina placed her hands on his cheeks, pulling him closer still. "But now, thankfully we've finally arrived at the 'happily ever-after' part of it all."

"It would certainly appear that way, at last," Severus mused quietly.

They danced contentedly in each other's arms until the end of the song, when Severus gave a nod to Jamison and willingly turned her over to have a dance with the man who'd become her father in so many ways. Severus stood off to the side, watching his Love chat happily as Jamison glided around with her in his arms. As soon as the song was over, many of the guests joined in on the dance floor. Severus prepared himself to begrudgingly watch as many others all vied for a chance to dance with _his_ bride but, instead, Jamison brought her directly back and securely handed her off to him once again.

In answer to Severus' questioning gaze, Caterina offered him her sweetest smile. "Jamison is the _only _exception. Today's our wedding and I'm only going to dance with _my_ husband. This day only happens once in a lifetime and I don't want to spend half of it in anyone else's arms, only yours, Severus."

Severus beamed; his grin was so wide and, for once, he didn't care who saw it. He couldn't imagine himself any happier than he was at that very moment, holding his bride in his arms as they continued to dance a while longer.

At one point, Severus suddenly stopped and drew very close to Caterina's ear to whisper. "If - if we have a baby girl, I want her to learn to dance, just like you do."

Caterina's eyes sparkled in happy tears. "Of course, Severus."

After dancing, they moved on to cutting the cake and mingled together with the guests for a little while longer. Caterina noticed Jamison appeared to be taken in with a pretty woman she didn't recognize. She had long dark brown hair and looked to be possibly a few years older than Caterina herself. Nudging Severus, he also could not identify her but he seemed uninterested as he was ready to embark on with the rest of their day. Kingsley approached them and, after giving Caterina another quick hug, he produced several official looking documents from his pocket, along with a small, leather-bound book and handed them off to Severus with an amicable shake of hands.

In a whirlwind of goodbyes, Severus collected all of their things, shrunk them down and pocketed them. Then he eyed Caterina and the back of her long gown.

"You're wondering where it's all going to fit, aren't you?" she asked with a giggle.

He nodded and she called out to Minerva, and beckoned them to follow her around a corner, away from everyone. "The spell for the dress, Minerva?"

Minerva thought for a moment. "Ah, yes, of course. I'll see to securing it for you until your return."

And with a wave of the witch's wand, the entire bottom half of Caterina's dress lifted up over her head and off, leaving behind a long, straight cut crimson skirt with a long slit up the front. Severus nodded approvingly and tenderly placed her white cloak around her shoulders once again before they headed outside. The guests were lined along the drive, at the end of which stood a handsome black carriage being drawn by several white, winged horses. Hagrid held their reigns and was talking quietly to them while smoothing their manes over.

The winter sky was just beginning to darken with the fall of night and, as Severus escorted Caterina down the drive to the waiting carriage, tiny glowing fairies sprinkled glittering snowflakes down over them while the guests all held up their wands to add their own magical send off, as was wizarding tradition. There were colorful butterflies, floating rose petals, fluttering white doves, and a multitude of bouncing bubbles. Caterina giggled as a bubble encased butterfly landed on her outstretched hand. She blew lightly on it and watched it lazily float away.

Severus helped her up into the carriage and then seated himself beside her while Hagrid shut the door.

"These here creatures were borrowed from a good lady-friend of mine, so I knows they'll get ya there very safe-like. Oh, and don't forget to turn round and watch out behind ya once they lift off." Hagrid wiped his eyes and sniffed loudly. "Congratulations to ya both, again."

The horses lifted off immediately, though not a jolt or bump was felt from their movements within the carriage. Caterina and Severus turned to watch out the back window and were treated to a splendid display of fireworks.

Letting out a long, delighted sigh, Caterina slid herself into Severus' lap. "Now will you tell me where we're going?"

"To the cottage," he answered simply.

"_Our _cottage?"

He only nodded with a mischievous grin for a minute, studying her face. "We have to drop off the carriage there. It's too long of a trip to take them the whole way."

"The whole way _where_?"

Severus chuckled. "You'll see soon enough, my sweet Love."

The trip quickly ended as they landed just in front of the cottage. Severus helped her out and then pulled the small book from Kingsley from his pocket, along with a long, black silk scarf.

"We're taking a portkey, an international portkey. That's what Kingsley gave me. They have to be authorized by the Minister. Now, it's going to take a little longer than normal because of the distance but I'll be holding you the entire time."

Caterina was growing quite excited. "And let me guess, the scarf is to blindfold me because you don't want me peeking too soon?"

Severus nodded again, kissed her lips and then turned her away from him. "May I?"

"Yes, of course."

After securing the scarf around her eyes, he tightly enveloped her in his arms and activated the portkey. The yanking sensation was extremely strong and seemed to continue on much longer than normal but Caterina knew she was safe. At last the ground hit their feet and Severus steadied her, giving her a moment to collect her bearings. She listened and heard many soft sounds of nature along with the mighty rush of water. The air was quite warm and heavy with moisture.

Severus pressed his lips into her curly hair and squeezed her. "I've wanted to come here since I first saw a picture of it as young boy. I never believed I _actually _would though."

He slipped off the silk scarf. Caterina's eyes widened at the sights before her. There was a giant waterfall that towered and spread out endlessly before them. Water cascaded down and formed many fabulous rainbows as the setting sun hit the tops of the falls. She turned around and around and saw only more splendid waterfalls, surrounding them with little patches of dense green plant life and trees dotted about, here and there. They were standing on a small island themselves in the midst of it all.

"Severus!" she gasped in amazement. "It's got to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. It's absolutely breathtaking!"

He wrapped his arms around his lovely bride and kissed her. "I know and I'm sharing it with the most beautiful woman in the world."

"Thank you, Severus." Caterina shivered with excitement and held him tight before looking all around again, a huge smile spreading across her face. "I think I know where we are, Severus… but where _ever_ are we staying?"

"You'll find out soon enough, my Love. Now let's just enjoy the sun setting on the falls, _Mrs. Snape."_

* * *

A/N: So Severus finally gets to live out that dream from chapter 12 at last! And don't you just love a good wedding? LOL Sev's coming round more on those baby thoughts, huh? Any guesses as to where Severus has taken Caterina for their honeymoon? Chocolate frogs to you if you guess correctly! Thanks so much for reading and until the next chapter... Happy Snapey thoughts and be sure to give him a New Years kiss! ;)


	57. Behind the Waterfall

**Chapter 57**

**Behind the Waterfall**

Caterina turned to watch the sun setting against the massive spread of falls as Severus slid his hands down and around the smooth crimson fabric of her hips. Leaning her head back, she rested it on his shoulder for a few more minutes of silent awe, taking in the breathtaking view before them. It was as if they were all alone, and the only ones around, for possibly miles, enjoying the gorgeous sight. She vaguely wondered if Severus had brought them here first, just to see the spectacular sunset and that he'd apparate them on to where their trunks were already waiting for them.

As she felt his lips pressing into her curls, she closed her eyes for a long moment, overjoyed to finally be married to such an extraordinary man and astonishing wizard. For so long it seemed as if all had been against them, during their separation and the consequent events that had at last brought him back to discovering her ill and all the events that happened after that. And now being with him, sharing this wondrous moment, made it feel like all of those horrid dealings had faded into ancient history for them, with their future now clear and bright, ready to be written out together.

A gentle nudge from Severus caused her to open her blue eyes once more. Caterina startled and blinked rapidly. Then she rubbed her eyes lightly and blinked again. "That shouldn't be. If this is where I'm thinking, these falls aren't lit. They don't have colorful lights behind them, like that, and, well, there's no snow here…."

Severus let out a deep chuckle and moved his hands up to unfasten her long white cloak. "You shouldn't be needing this any longer, Darling, and we certainly don't want you to fall faint from overheating."

Momentarily his words sidetracked her and she turned to wink at him, not realizing until then just how warm she'd been feeling. "No we wouldn't. I'll happily leave all my overheating needs to you alone."

"And I'm more than happy to oblige you in that respect." Severus aptly removed his own heavy black cloak, shrinking them both, before pocketing them. "Now, in answer to your question, take several steps forward."

He took her soft, warm hand in hers and motioned ahead of them. Caterina's eyes searched all around. There were several large bushy green plants with an assortment of indigenous flora all about. A tree with dark red blossoms caught her eye and she stretched her hand out to feel the silky petals.

"It almost matches your gorgeous gown, my Love, but keep walking. You're almost there."

"To _where,_ Severus?"

"To where we're staying."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "You mean to tell me we're staying on this tiny little island? But it's barely big - "

"No, not quite _here_ exactly." With his hands securely around her waist, he urged her forward until he was sure she could see it and her gasp confirmed that she had. "_Now_ do you see?"

"It's hidden!"

"Yes." He nodded.

"Because… _because_ it's magical…."

"Yes," he answered again. "And, they're expecting us."

Again, Caterina was awestruck at the sight before her but she continued walking forward, toward a set of oval-shaped glass doors that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. When they were about ten feet away, the doors pushed open from the inside and out came two tiny creatures, holding them back to bid Caterina and Severus entrance. The creatures were quite similar looking to the house-elves Caterina was familiar with at Hogwarts, though with darker complexions and they were donned in little matching navy and gold hats and jackets, reminiscent of vintage style bellhops.

Severus guided her in through the open doors and nodded his thanks at the little creatures. It took Caterina's eyes only a moment to adjust to the golden lighting and she soon realized they were standing in a long, oval-shaped glass tunnel. As they walked along, the air inside gradually cooled to a pleasant and comfortable degree. Soon, they were leaving the small island, heading out over the water and closely approaching the large, magnificent waterfall. Just when they reached the area where the waterfall splashed down, all around the glass tunnel they were in, the tunnel itself opened into a large, high-domed room, made entirely of glass as well.

Water from the falls should have thundered down, pounding upon the glass but the only sounds they heard were that of occasional soft trickles, mixed with the sound of soft, pleasing orchestra music. All around them were classy, elegant settings with plush comfortable chairs and settees in rich decorative upholsteries. There were also many lush green tropical plants nestled about in groups here and there and hanging all about, with a large grouping of palm trees that reached to the dome's top and other pretty blooming ornamentals positioned in the center of the room. Hearing a loud squawk, Caterina looked all around, her eyes settling upon several large, colorful tropical birds also housed within the glass dome.

There were several other people mingling around in what she now assumed to be a sort of lobby. Caterina supposed them to be wizards, some sporting flattering muggle styles, some wearing traditional robes and others garbed in what must have been the current wizarding fashion for their native homelands. Severus escorted her to the other side of the room, where they found an ornately stone-carved check-in desk where several friendly faces were waiting to welcome them. Just behind the desk was a rugged rock wall, about 30 feet wide, that had a constant flow of water running down over it. To either side of the wall were two old-fashioned style golden elevators.

A cheerful looking woman wearing a bright yellow sundress stepped forward, presenting Caterina with a large bouquet of beautiful tropical flowers and she spoke with a slight accent. "You must be the new Mr. and Mrs. Snape! Congratulations on your marriage and we warmly welcome you to -"

"Iguazu Falls," Caterina stated softly, her voice full of wonder.

"Right you are, my dear! Now we won't take anymore of your time, so you can fully enjoy all that there is. Your trunks are already waiting in the honeymoon suite. Be sure to let us know immediately if there's anything we can get for you during your stay at The Falls."

With that, the lady gave a courtesy, and a friendly looking older gentleman behind the counter handed Severus a small gold skeleton key. "You may access your suite via either of the elevators. We hope you have a wondrous experience during your stay."

As they walked toward the elevator on the right, its doors opened, revealing another uniformed house-elf. Once inside, the elf waved his arms and the doors closed. It was a steady climb upward for a few moments before the elevator stopped again. According to the dial above the doors, it indicated they had traveled upward six levels. When the doors opened again, the elf stepped forward and motioned to the right, giving them a large grin and a low bow.

Once they exited, the tiny elf stepped back inside the elevator and its doors closed. The interior of the long corridor where they stood was unbelievably different to anything Caterina had ever seen before. Its walls appeared to be crafted out of sheer rock, medium gray in coloring, with the most interesting designs carved into them along the passage. The designs had a gentle glow to them that made sure one did not miss any, and delicate golden candelabras lined the way, every so many feet, giving it a soft, romantic atmosphere. Every few moments they could hear a tiny trickling sound. Caterina gingerly touched a finger to the stone and discovered it was slightly damp. Soon she also saw little bits of bright green moss growing here and there along the stone walls with an occasional fern or tiny flowering vine. It was such a beautifully unique creation to behold.

Caterina had an astonishing thought. "Severus, are we behind the waterfall, within the rocks?"

"Yes, the entire hotel is hollowed out of the rocks and hidden behind several of the larger waterfalls. There are many complex magical spells shielding it and all of its guests from the countless Muggle eyes that visit here every day. It's one of the Wizarding World's very best kept secrets. In fact, it's the only place of its kind in the world."

"So the colorful nighttime lights behind the waterfalls were magical as well and could only be seen by us?" she asked.

"Us and any other guests of the establishment who were outside."

Reaching the end of the corridor, they found nothing but solid rock wall. Severus held up the golden key and instantly the wall faded away, allowing them entrance to their honeymoon suite. Caterina was about to step forward when Severus stopped her.

"Allow me the honor, Mrs. Snape." Placing a gentle kiss on her lips, he lifted her into his arms and crossed the threshold with his beautiful bride.

It was a large spacious room, with slate gray rock walls and a high ceiling, but with thick, plush creamy-colored carpet beneath their feet. The room was softly lit by countless candles and had the beautiful scent of many delicate flowers. Upon close inspection, Caterina realized fresh flowers were arranged all around the gorgeous room. And the most stunning focal point of the room had to be the wall opposite to the door they had entered through. It, however, was not made of rock. Instead, there was no wall at all but rather a thick continuous curtain of cascading water. They were indeed staying _behind_ the waterfall and it was simply amazing.

The wall of water was divided at the middle point in the room by a large stone fireplace, already lit and giving the rich appointed room a cozy and inviting atmosphere. Surrounding the fireplace was a large white leather couch and two matching oversized armchairs. Along the left wall stood a huge oversized sleigh bed of rich mahogany wood and several matching furnishings. Hanging from the ceiling were sheer white curtains that draped down around the sides of the bed and its silky turquoise coverings.

On the opposite side of the room, there stood a small dining table and bar area tucked into the corner. And the next splendid feature within the room was the large recessed pool, carved into an area of rock floor, fed by a fountain of water cascading down from the sidewall. It was only a few feet deep and the pool's water was lit with glowing lights along the bottom, giving it the same turquoise color as the bed. Tropical lilies, blooming roses and laelias orchids were floating in the water.

Continually turning around, Caterina clapped her hands together and gasped. "Oh Severus! This is… beyond words! I never could have imagined such a place in my wildest dreams, even knowing all about magic! I mean, we're _actually_ behind a giant waterfall!"

"Now you understand why I've always wanted to come here." Severus grinned, thrilled that she was so delighted by his choice.

Completely enamored by the waterfall wall, Caterina walked forward and tentatively stretched out her hand to touch the waterfall but found her hand struck instead, an invisible barrier between her and the water.

"It's a shield-like charm to keep anyone from falling and that also mutes the noise from the falls." Severus placed his hands on her hips and pulled her close. "What would you like to do first, my Love?"

Sliding her arms up around his neck, she stretched up to his lips. "I say we relax and fully enjoy the comforts of this magnificent room."

"I was hoping you'd say that." His steady gaze completely disarmed her.

Kissing his lips, she took a small step back and turned around once again, pulling his arms around hers while noticing the delicious display of edibles arranged upon the large accent table between the leather chairs. In the center there was a gorgeous display of brilliant tropical flowers, surrounded by freshly cut fruits, tiny assorted pastries and thick melted chocolates for dipping, along with an expensive bottle of red wine.

Soon they were settled on the couch by the flickering fire, feeding each other the delectable treats and sharing the lovely wine. When Caterina drizzled some chocolate on Severus' finger and then began licking it off in a most seductive manner, he gave a low growl, quickly hoisted her up into his arms and carried her over to stand beside the spacious bed.

"My dear _Mrs. Snape_, I do hope you're prepared for the most amazing night of your life," Severus whispered in his deep, velvet tone, the one that always brought shivers to her spine and made her weak in the knees.

Caterina turned to face him, throwing him a most deviant smile as her hands reached behind her back to unhook the hidden clasp holding on her altered crimson wedding dress. Letting it drop, she stepped out of it, revealing a white damask corset with lace accents and matching garters holding up her white stockings. Severus drew a sharp breath and blinked his eyes wide several times.

Tightly grasping the front of his shirt, she yanked him close. "I hope you're likewise prepared, _Mr. Snape_."

Between fierce kisses and wild groping, he managed to grunt out a reply while also heaving her onto the bed. "_You_, are utter and complete _seduction_. How am I so lucky?"

A soft golden light gently woke them around mid-morning. They lay happily in the silk sheets, their bodies still entwined. Severus and Caterina were also both heavily satisfied to stay that way for a long while, watching as the sun's rays shone on the waterfall, creating tiny, brilliant and shimmering prisms of light all around their room.

Caterina sighed complacently. "Let's just stay here all day."

"I've never been one to laze about in bed but I am in no way opposed to the idea, provided that it would be, of course, with you."

She giggled and rolled on top of him, planting soft wet kisses up his chest. "Glad to see someone is learning how to fully relax for once."

His long fingers gently traced the skin from her bare thigh and up her smooth back to nestle against the back of her head, pulling her full lips into a deep, good morning kiss. Then they proceeded to spend the entire day, tucked blissfully away, between the rumpled silk sheets.

Severus and Caterina's two weeks in the tropical paradise was nothing short of a dream come true for them both. They spent each day doing as they pleased, enjoying the gorgeous surrounding waterfalls and exploring small parts of the lush, vibrant rainforest. Many afternoons were spent lazing about, near a sparkling pool of cool water with a picnic basket full of simple tasty delights, and in the evenings, they usually visited one of several sumptuous wizarding restaurants that each specialized in a different cuisine. Their nights started out either lounging by the splendid stone fireplace or enjoying the warm pool in their room. But after that, they always ended up back between the glorious silk.

Severus cheekily blamed Caterina for his first near heart-attack, when, on one of their first afternoons picnicking outside near a small hidden waterfall, she removed the simple wrap skirt and thin white blouse to uncover something he'd not seen her wear before. It was fresh white in color and looked suspiciously to him like a crocheted bra and panty set, though why she had dared to bare it for anyone else who might happen along, he was quite taken aback.

He stared transfixed by the sight of her in it, unable to make his proclamations known for a few moments. "What… that's - well, are you quite mad, Darling?"

Caterina giggled and kissed the tip of his nose. "No. It's frightfully warm, so I thought I'd take a dip in the water."

"Wearing _that_? He continued to stare at her, most perplexed.

She looked down at herself. "Why, yes. After all, that's what a bikini is for."

"Bikini? You've never worn one before…."

"No, I never really cared to wear them." Caterina gave a small frown and pulled his hand to rest against her right side. "I didn't relish the way they showed off my - my scars before, but you fixed that. Do you not like it? I picked it out just for you, hoping you would."

Cupping her face sweetly in his hands, he sighed. "You look as beautiful as ever. It's perfect."

Severus took a deep breath, watching her wade happily into the rippling waters of their secluded pool, gently splashing herself. He withdrew his wand, silently casting several strong spells in fast secession. Caterina gave him a wink and blew a kiss, before turning toward the flowing waterfall and dipping down to her shoulders. As she came back out, she let out a treacherous cry at feeling herself being grabbed.

"Shhh… Love, it's only _me_," Severus offered quietly while pulling her into his embrace.

Looking him up and down in total disbelief, she laughed. "Severus Snape! How did you - "

Pressing a finger to her lips, he smirked. "I simply apparated in behind you."

Caterina cocked her own brow to mimic his classic pose, while pointing toward their picnic spot. "You apparated, _without_ your clothes?"

"_Never_… underestimate magic," he said as he reached down under the water and wrapped her legs around his waist.

Looping her arms behind his neck, she whispered into his ear. "With you, I _never _underestimate anything."

Severus watched the surprised look on her face as he tugged loose the ties at the sides of her hips. "Don't worry, I heavily warded the area against _any _unwanted guests."

She nibbled down his neck and then arched herself back. "Well in that case, I'm all yours… _yours and yours alone_."

Though it was somewhat bittersweet to leave their marvelous tropical honeymoon spot, Severus and Caterina settled back at Hogwarts quite easily. The students returned after their holidays, eager to learn, with much less 'foolish wand waving' as Severus had so aptly put it. The second term of the year saw a smooth passage for most everyone and transitioned beautifully into the summer holidays, where the newly married couple spent their time back at the cottage.

Severus saw to turning the large garden shed on the cottage's property into a very well-stocked and usable potions lab for himself. Caterina was most delighted to help him whenever he needed to brew up a potion and he always took the time to explain the ingredients to her as well as how they worked to make each different potion. They also spent much time just being in each other's company, unhindered by any intrusions, no Wizarding World dilemmas and with no on-going spying missions. The time was all theirs to do with as they pleased now and Severus felt he had more than earned it for once in his turbulent life.

Stella came with them and made herself available to assist Caterina and Severus in any way possible. She had become quite attached to looking after Caterina for Severus, even though they all felt any threats were, as a whole, none existent. The little elf refused to give up her proud duty and kept herself busy, with doing any chores around the house to gathering fresh ingredients for Severus' potions. Whenever and however she could assist them, she did so.

Jamison visited almost weekly, keeping Caterina apprised of all things and usually brought with him the sweet new lady in his life. Caterina had been right to question his interest in the woman she'd observed him so enthralled with at their wedding. For they had hit it off fabulously and within six months, they were already discussing marriage. Caterina was thrilled and most happy in his choice.

Her name was Sloan Parker and she had been at their wedding that day by a simple favor and happy chance. Sloan was a squib and had agreed to help with the food preparation of the wedding in place of her cousin who had come down with a sudden case of dragon pox. Sloan was everything Caterina could have hoped for the way she took care of Jamison. She was a few years older than Caterina and worked at a muggle hospital as a nurse. Severus rarely commented much on such matters but Caterina knew from how he treated Sloan that he didn't mind her and he appeared happy for Jamison as well.

As the summer came to a close, Caterina was certainly sad about leaving the cottage but she knew the start of term back at Hogwarts would prove to be interesting. She also knew that Severus would bring her back to the cottage any chance they had. Before returning to the grand castle, Caterina was due for one last checkup from Healer Brock at St. Mungo's and the results were met with mixed reactions. Brock again declared Caterina to be free from any possible effects from the blood imbalance and gave his full approval on her and Severus attempting to conceive.

The whole idea of a baby was still something he could not entirely wrap his mind around but knowing how Caterina longed to have one, he knew he could never begrudge her. Little by little, he started discussing the idea of a baby with her, and better acquainting himself with the concept of fatherhood. Caterina did not want to wait too long to start trying, but she also wanted Severus to fully embrace the idea as well and not just give in to appease her desires.

"Severus, you understand how much I'd love to have a little family with you but I don't want you to rush into it, not being completely sure. We need to be fully agreed on this." Caterina told him one evening in early September.

"It's not something I ever wanted or saw myself having, but then so many of my conceptions on my life have changed since you entered it." He held her close and stroked her curls. "I'm getting much more used to the idea than ever before and I promise you, we will try to have a… a baby."

Caterina smiled with joy, until her look took a most sober turn with her thoughts.

"What is it, Love?" he asked, tilting her chin up to face him.

"I - I was just wondering if… if it would bother you if our baby ended up being non-magical?" Caterina whispered in a shaky voice.

Severus drew a pained expression, closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers. "How could you ever possibly think such a thing? No, my sweet, _sweet _Love. If there's anything I learned through possessing you in my life, it's that my own brand of magic is not nearly as strong as love. If I needed to, or had to, I would gladly give up my magic abilities to keep you and your love in my life."

"Oh Severus, I would _never _ask that of you," she half-sobbed through her tears. "But the fact that you would even consider doing so, means the world to me."

As she curled up into his arms later that night and peacefully slept, he watched the soft glow of the enchanted constellations slowly moving about on the ceiling above. Severus felt a strong wave of determined fortitude encompass him and his thoughts. The idea of a tiny new life, entirely dependent upon the two of them, still scared him, but he found himself completely willing and finally ready.

* * *

A/N: Ahh... yes, I'm a total and complete sap. Caterina and Severus had the perfect little wedding and the perfect honeymoon to follow it! After everything they went through, they're entitled to such, don't you think? ;) And I for one would love to stay in such a magical place as they did, wouldn't you? Iguazu Falls is nestled between Brazil and Argentina in South America. Google it and the pictures will simply amaze you! :) Thanks for continuing to read about the happy couple, their adventure is almost at its close. Until next time, my sweet lovelies!


	58. Warmth in Love

**Chapter 58**

**Warmth in Love**

Caterina stood watching from the back corner of the room, just beside long cranberry-colored velvet drapes that were tied back from the large stone archway leading out onto a lovely terrace. Every few moments the cool October breeze blew in on the sheer ivory curtains covering the arch and they tickled against her arms. She beamed happily along with everyone else, watching the newlyweds dance contentedly in each other's arms until a slight tug on her arms pulled her back past the sheer coverings and out onto the terrace. Caterina gasped and startled sharply until she realized it was Severus when he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

She turned her head sideways to view him better. "Hey there, handsome. Where did you disappear off to?"

Severus made a low growl in her ear, letting her know he had not been at all pleased to 'disappear' even though it was for only a short while. "It seems one of the guests, on the _bride's_ side, got a touch overzealous in their celebrations."

"Meaning I should interpret that to say, _magically overzealous_?"

"Yes," he said between gritted teeth, bringing his lips down to lightly caress along her bare neck and shoulder. "And meaning they thought it would be grand fun to transfigure a car out front into to white carriage with four white horses."

Caterina giggled. "Well that is a grand and sweet gesture but…."

"But there were several muggles on the street who witnessed it. An elderly lady fainted dead away." Severus paused to twirl Caterina around to face him.

"Oh no!" She clapped her hand over her mouth in horror.

He nodded and continued. "She was fine when she came to, but Kingsley and I have spent the past twenty minutes doing a bit of memory modifying. Since we were already here, there seemed no reason to wait for the Ministry to send anyone out and have to track them all down later."

"Yes, that does seem logical, but has Kingsley perfected his memory charm since it was last discussed? If not, I hope he watched you carefully."

Severus smirked down at his wife, meeting her lips with a kiss. "From the looks of it, he's only been trying to perfect his so-called charm on those two young witches over there all evening."

Following his nod, Caterina peered back through the thinly veiled arch to catch a glimpse of the Minister of Magic most obviously flirting. "I guess he's allowed a bit of fun on the job, from time to time."

Severus simply snorted. Caterina gave him a 'be nice' look and reached her arms up around his neck and began swaying to the music that effortlessly drifted out from inside the large ballroom. Looking her over and admiring the low cut of her chocolate satin bridesmaid gown, he dropped his large hands down to her waist and indulged her in a dance.

"They remind me of _us_, you know, darling. So sweet and in love…."

"Except you're much more beautiful and I'm so much luckier," Severus whispered in her ear.

Caterina shook her head at him, her turquoise eyes sparkling merrily. "Be _nice_! Every bride is gorgeous on her wedding day!"

"If you say so, though I myself have never had much use for any brides but _one_. And I swept _her_ up as soon as I could manage it," Severus said, matter-of-factly.

Caterina nestled her head against his chest, laughing. "You are incorrigible!"

Pulling back, Severus looked down at her with a vivid spark in his own black eyes. "Not _entirely_."

With one hand he reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out a small, glass vial, offering it to Caterina. She took it, turning it over and over with a confused look. It was very familiar, of course, being the standard style he used for bottling many potions. He just watched her with a small, knowing grin.

Caterina gave him a confused look. "What's this for, Severus?"

With a quick sweep around to make sure they were still completely alone, Severus bent low to her ear. "It's your monthly contraceptive dose."

She rolled it around in her soft fingers again. "But Severus, _it's_ empty?"

"_Exactly_."

His meaning slowly wrapped itself around her and she practically pinned him back against the railing in her exuberance. "Oh Severus! Do you really mean it? We can start trying?"

"Haven't we already been _trying_? Or, ah, _practicing_ I should say?" he said with a grin, pulling her hips almost flush with his.

Pressing herself as tightly as she could to him, she gave him a seductive smile. "If you're not careful, I'll insist we start _trying_ right this very instant."

Severus' black eyes were clouded with lust as he quickly looked all around. "You know… with a few spells…."

Caterina pulled him down for a long, deep kiss, only breaking away to catch her breath and some clarity as they heard the music changing inside. "Mmm… that's a _very_ tempting idea, but I think we best go see Jamison and Sloan off, before they think we've entirely abandoned them on their wedding day."

Trailing his finger along the inviting top edge of her bodice, he reluctantly agreed with another low growl. "_Alright_, but once they're headed off to their honeymoon cruise or whatever it is they're doing, there's a sexy bridesmaid I'm taking home with me."

"Consider it a date, _mister_," Caterina said with a wink, lovingly running her hands across his lean chest.

* * *

Severus couldn't help but find the idea of Caterina getting pregnant at any time now, highly thrilling. Especially after she whispered into his ear one night that she thought one of the sexiest things there had to be about a man was the ability to impregnate his wife. He did have many misconceptions about pregnancies and babies as a whole, though, which Caterina quickly started to correct. Knowing his love of learning and academics, she went through a small pile of pregnancy books, marking certain passages and highlighting the parts she thought he needed to read. He found much of it quite engrossing and was also very excited to learn that they could still make love even after she was pregnant. Severus also figured any sort of hormonal mood swings should be quite easy to deal with after what Caterina had endured the previous summer on the Potion Twenty-Seven.

From Severus' many questions, Caterina soon deduced he had never even held a baby in his arms, let alone spent any time around one. She knew that would certainly be changing in the near future and Caterina was overjoyed that Severus seemed very eager to learn all he could about babies. He started bringing up little anecdotes of what he read from time to time. More than once she found him intently flipping through the baby and parenting periodicals that she bought. Severus did feel a fond interest in learning what he could and, more than anything, he was determined to raise their child in a much healthier, safer and more loving environment than he had ever experienced. Already the odds were greatly in their favor, given the fact that his view and outlook on life had changed so drastically after meeting Caterina. And while he understood he would not be perfect at the whole concept of parenting, they would be in it together and unified in whatever they faced, a much different approach than his parents ever had.

One Saturday morning in late November Caterina woke to find herself feeling quite queasy again. They were spending a quiet weekend at the cottage before all the end of term holiday craziness started with the students. Caterina had been rather keen on decorating their home for the holidays and Severus had more than indulged her fancy in helping make the place festive. She didn't want to alarm Severus by mentioning anything about feeling ill or by going to see Madam Pomfrey over it. But it was the third or fourth day she'd had the feeling upon waking. Caterina had not encountered much morning sickness the first time but she also knew each pregnancy could be very different in what it presented. It would be bad enough to get her own hopes up only to discover it was simply an upset stomach for the start of a flu bug. She decided to possibly give it a few days longer, though she couldn't help but feel extremely anxious over it.

Quite early the next morning Caterina finally hit on an idea after she'd spent most of the night awake and pondering things. Slipping out of bed, she crept into the bathroom and silently searched around until she found a pregnancy test. With a hopeful smile and a pounding heart, she took the test. Now she just had to wait a few minutes.

Just as Caterina sat the little stick down on the counter to wait, Severus entered the bathroom. His dark eyes scanned around, rested on the test momentarily and then settled questioningly upon her face.

"Ahh, is that some sort of little toy muggle wand you've never told me about?" he teased.

She gave him a tiny smile and bit her bottom lip. "_No_."

He stepped over to look at it closer before turning back to her in concern. "It's not one of those muggle devices that takes temperatures is it?"

She shook her head no as he reached out his hand to pick it up but Caterina gently smacked it away with a giggle. "Don't touch that, I just peed on it!"

Severus raised an eyebrow, looking at her as if she'd gone around the bend. "You did _what_? Why _ever_ on earth?"

Caterina shook her head and laughed at him. "It's not for temperatures, Love. It's a pregnancy test. The muggle kind…."

Severus stared at her and gulped. "You really think… you might, er may be? Ah... how does it work?"

She started to explain, but interrupted herself with a sudden gasp. "It's showing positive!"

"Are you _sure_?" he asked. "How do you tell?"

Flipping over the box to show him the instructions on how to read the test, she watched his eyes grow wide. Several times he looked from the instructions, to the tester and back again. Then he grabbed her hand and retreated back into the bedroom, pulling her carefully along.

"Sit down on the bed," he said flatly.

Severus stepped around to his side of the bed to retrieve his wand. Then he came to stand in front of her. Caterina watched him apprehensively as he held his wand in front of her. It was one of the rare moments where she could not quite figure out the meaning in his facial expression.

"You shouldn't feel anything."

"What are you going to do?" she demanded in an anxious tone.

"A few weeks ago I asked Madam Pomfrey to show me the spell to detect a pregnancy," he explained with a sheepish look. "I thought it prudent to be prepared."

Caterina gave him an adoring look while he pointed his wand several inches from her stomach and made a slow circle. As he paused, there came a brilliant flash of white light that lasted for about two seconds.

"And that means?" Caterina asked nervously.

A strange smile crossed onto his face. "That we have been successful in our… endeavors. You… _are_ pregnant."

Caterina leapt off the bed and threw herself into his arms while blinking back happy tears. Severus turned with her in his arms and sat down, holding her in his lap and nuzzled his face into her curls.

After a few minutes, she pulled back to gaze up at him. "How does that spell work?"

"There is only a flash if it detects another life," he explained. "And nothing if there is not."

"Oh." They both stared at each other for a long moment.

"Now what do we do?" he asked her softly.

"Well, nothing really at all, but wait… for the immediate future, that is," Caterina said thoughtfully. "And then once back at Hogwarts, Poppy can check me over. I'd guess I'm only a few weeks in, so there's really not much to do, yet."

Severus nodded in agreement. Then he very gently slid his warm hand over her belly, letting it rest there, staring down at her.

"A baby," he said in an awed voice. "We made a baby…."

Caterina rested her small hand atop of his and gazed up at him with a blissful smile. "Yes, a _baby_."

* * *

With only a few weeks until Christmas, they decided to wait in telling anyone, other than Madam Pomfrey, of course. The medi-witch was delighted to confirm their findings that Caterina was indeed several weeks pregnant and gave her due date for mid-July. Poppy also confirmed that everything appeared absolutely normal and completely healthy, while also promising to send a blood sample straight to St. Mungo's for verification. St. Mungo's quickly agreed with the medi-witch's finding and Severus and Caterina couldn't have been more relieved.

Severus became all the more watchful and protective of Caterina and on several occasions he almost lost his cool with students who merely brushed by her in passing in the corridors. Caterina chuckled to herself and wondered just how unbearable the students would find him once her stomach swelled to the roundness of several months along. Once the students left for the holidays, they made their announcement to the professors and staff at dinner. It was met with hearty congratulations and several happy and teary-eyed hugs from the likes of Minerva, Pomona and several other witches. Sibyll quickly predicted that the baby would have an excellent character and would become cleverly talented. Caterina gave Severus a tap on his leg under the table to keep him from snorting out loud at the vague prediction.

The following day they returned home to the cottage, with Stella joining them. Caterina was ecstatic to finally be celebrating Christmas there with Severus in their own home. With the mix of muggle and magical decorations and several inches of freshly fallen snow outside, the cottage was perfectly picturesque. Jamison and Sloan came for dinner on Christmas Eve and they were overjoyed and eager to celebrate in the baby news. It seemed that Severus was starting to relax and become much more comfortable around others. He and Jamison were always amicable but now Severus was taking some initiative to engage in natural conversations on his own. Caterina was quite pleased and proud of Severus' efforts.

Once their guests left that evening, Severus and Caterina cuddled on the couch by the fireplace, watching the charmed twinkling lights on the Christmas tree and talking quietly. Just when he thought Caterina had dozed off to sleep in his arms, he heard her give a cheerful giggle. She sat upright and looked at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Caterina stood and walked over to the green velvet stocking hanging from the fireplace. Reaching in, she pulled out a small silver box tied with the shimmery green bow.

Slipping back into his lap, she offered it to him with a sweet kiss on his cheek. "For you, my Love."

He took it with a hesitant look. "I thought we were waiting until tomorrow?"

"We are. This isn't much, actually more of a tiny teasing hint for your gift tomorrow."

Severus was intrigued and proceeded to open the box. Nestled inside on black velvet stood a sleek, poised jaguar beautifully crafted out of solid silver. He turned it over in his hands and inspected it quite thoroughly.

"A hint about my gift tomorrow?" he asked, looking perplexed.

"Yes."

Narrowing his eyes thoughtfully, he stared at the little silver creature. "There is something oddly familiar about it."

Caterina chuckled. "Well, maybe by morning your brilliant mind will have figured it out."

Carefully Severus stood the silver figurine on the coffee table before them. "Actually, I'm afraid it won't."

"Why's that?" Caterina asked him in surprise.

"Because I'm going to be too busy focused on you for the rest of the night." Then Severus scooped her up in his arms and carried her upstairs to make love to her.

They awoke early the next morning to find several more inches of snow had covered the landscape during the night. Caterina seemed extremely anxious about something, hurrying him along to get dressed. She was practically bouncing in excitement all through breakfast and Severus had to coax her several times into eating more food.

As soon as he finished his last bite, she all but dragged him into the living room. The pile of gifts had grown under the tree, with several more magical additions coming in through the night. Severus looked under the tree expectantly, trying to decide which one might match up with his gift from the night before. Just as he promised, he'd never had a chance to give it much more thought.

"Actually it's waiting outside." Caterina said with a chuckle, as she tugged on her boots.

"_Outside_?" he repeated, definitely clueless over what it might be.

Grinning broadly, she nodded her head and stepped forward with a black silk scarf. "This time _you _get blindfolded."

Looking her over in her white cashmere sweater and jeans, he refused to indulge her until she donned her heavy turquoise cloak, hat, scarf and gloves. Once he had on his own black cloak, he reluctantly allowed her to blindfold him and lead him out the front door.

"You know, if I could see _where_ we were going, I could clear a path through the snow with my wand."

Caterina laughed. "Oh that just takes away half the fun!"

He could tell she was leading them around the right side of the house, past the far side of the garage. Once she had him properly positioned, she stepped away for a few moments. Listening carefully, all he heard were several soft sweeping noises and the crunch of her boots in the snow before Caterina came back over to him.

Reaching up she gently slipped the blindfold off and whispered, "Happy Christmas, Darling."

It took a few seconds for what was before Severus to completely register in his mind. Then all at once he put it together: the tiny silver jaguar gift from last night and now the sleek, shiny black one sitting before him, complete with a huge red bow on top. A wide, impressed smile spread across his face and he burst out with a hearty laugh, picking Caterina up and twirling her around. Gently he set her on her feet again, keeping a protective arm around her, lest she fall in the snow.

"Even if I'd not had you distracting me all night, I doubt I would have ever made the connection." Severus stretched out his hand, running a finger along the matching silver jaguar emblem on the front of the car. "How ever did you manage it?"

"With a bit of magic from both worlds. Jamison took care of getting it for me and Stella masked its arrival and kept it concealed until we came outside. And thanks to her, that's why it's snow-free."

Caterina dug around in her cloak, pulling out the key. "It's top of the line, fully loaded and next year's S-type model to boot, or so Jamison tells me."

"It's perfect and I'm extremely eager to test it out, and properly, now that I know how."

"You know it's been a few months since you learned to drive, and you haven't driven since the summer… You sure you still remember how? The _muggle_ way?" she teased him.

"Of course I do, I paid attention to everything you explained to me." Giving her tummy a pat, he grinned. "And I assume the baby's car seat will go in _mine_, since your little car only holds two?"

Caterina looked toward the garage where her little sporty car was housed and then back to Severus' Jaguar. "I suppose I'll need to upgrade as well?"

Severus spent several minutes walking around his new car, admiring it, and then he gave the inside a quick once over. She eagerly watched his face, pleased at how much he appeared to enjoy his gift.

Severus pulled her against him in a tight hug. "I do love it, Caterina."

"I'm so glad." She hugged him back. "I wasn't sure what kind to get and then I thought of your Patronus… And so this just seemed the only fitting choice."

He felt truly humbled over her thoughtfulness as he kissed her pink-chilled cheek. "You're positively shivering! Let's get you back inside and warm. Then you can open your gift, though it's not anywhere near the size of a car."

Holding out his wand, he instantly cleared a path all the way back to the door and once they entered the warmth of the cottage, they found Stella had made them hot chocolate. Caterina settled by the fire, warming herself and sipping her cocoa while Severus put their outerwear away. Then he joined her on the floor as a decent-sized package, wrapped in white shimmery paper with a sparkling silver ribbons, appeared in her lap. He chuckled softly as she lifted it and gave it a shake. It made no noise other than the slight crinkle of the paper, though it felt quite solid.

When he saw she was going to painstakingly pull the wrappings off piece by piece, he growled low. "Just rip it!"

Throwing him a shy expression, she kissed his nose and then turned back to tear off the paper. Underneath she found a sturdy, glossy white box. While she gently tugged off the lid, Severus leaned forward over her shoulder to watch. Inside the box, she pushed back the edges of a black velvet fabric and carefully lifted out what looked to be an oval shaped picture frame. The glass was bordered with a wide silver edge and had a gently flowing flourished design. All in all, it was about a foot in length and almost ten inches wide. Caterina ran her fingers around the frame, noting how wondrously smooth it felt. But as she stared at it, she realized it held no picture and the glass was rather a milky white. Holding it closer still, she saw that the glass had a soft glimmer to it. She looked at Severus, not sure of what it could be.

He was smiling. "Actually you'll never be able to guess. It's something quite rare and rather hard to come by."

"What is it?" she asked, turning it all around most curiously in her hands.

"Hold it by the sides. Yes… there, like that. Now close your eyes and concentrate on something- something happy," he told her softly.

Caterina did just as he asked and when she opened her eyes, the glass looked as though it were swirling into a thick fog, but nothing happened.

"Try again, concentrating harder on your happy thought," he guided her

Closing her eyes again, she fiercely focused on her happy thought until she heard Severus gasp. Upon opening her eyes, the fog had disappeared and was replaced with the image of what had been in her mind. It was a crystal-clear picture of her and Severus standing in a snowy wood.

"How did it…?" She turned to Severus in complete surprise.

"It's a memory mirror," he explained. "It loosely mimics the idea of a pensieve, turning a thought into a picture."

"That's utterly amazing." Caterina gazed lovingly at the scene, running her finger over the glass. "Our first kiss…," she said breathlessly. "So hard to believe it's been five years, it still seems like only yesterday. Will it stay?"

"Yes it will, until you hold it and change the picture to a different memory… any memory you would like to see." He stroked a hand through her curls. "Me, your family, it will show you whatever the image is that you hold in your head."

"Severus, it's absolutely wonderful." Her eyes started to tear up and he hugged her tightly to himself.

Caterina looked hesitantly at him but he gave an encouraging nod. Holding it tightly in her hands, she trembled from concentrating, but the image slowly and evenly morphed into a portrait of Caterina's mother and father, along with her brother Drew.

Severus wiped a tear from her cheek. "That's quite nice. Let's leave it like that for a while."

She nodded and gave him an appreciative smile, while tenderly rubbing her belly. Severus knew what she was thinking and he was thrilled over how much she loved his gift. Taking it carefully from her small hands, he pulled out the back easel and positioned it on the mantel along with the other photo frames. Then, lifting her with ease, he led Caterina over to the couch and settled her upon it.

"Now let's see what else is tucked away, under the tree shall we?" he suggested, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

* * *

Over the course of the holidays, Caterina took notice that her morning sickness had increased in its intensity. Anything wrong with Caterina, even if morning sickness was supposed to be normal, greatly disturbed Severus. He took up researching any possible potions that would be safe for her, hoping to ease her discomfort. Caterina reassured him many times that it would soon pass, though something was quite different with this pregnancy, and to be truthful, she was very worried. Maybe it was only fear from knowing what happened the last time and, while she couldn't put her finger on it, she also knew it would do no good to mention her worries to Severus.

Just after term started in January, and they were back at Hogwarts, Caterina realized her clothes were starting to get a little bit tighter and a tiny bump was beginning to show on her belly. About two weeks into term Caterina experienced an extremely rough morning of ongoing illness. Not wanting to bother Severus in his class of advanced potion students, she made her way to the infirmary. Poppy took one look at her pale, stressed face and gently scolded her for not summoning her immediately.

"You know I will come directly to your room, dearie, the moment you call for me." Poppy reminded her, helping Caterina up onto an exam bed and patting her arm. "You're just worried and you have every right to be, but let me give you a thorough checkup and put all those fears to rest."

After asking Caterina a series of questions, the motherly medi-witch proceeded to check her over, using her wand and running it from head to toe several times. Then she hovered above Caterina's abdomen for a bit, waving it back and forth, while silently running through several medical spells.

Suddenly Poppy gave a shriek and clapped her hand over her mouth. "I figured it out. I know _exactly_ what the problem is!"

Caterina clutched a small parchment roll and a little white box as she made her way to the dungeon classroom. She knew the students would be dismissed at any moment but she couldn't help peek in through the slightly ajar door. It was as if Severus sensed her presence and immediately motioned for her to enter. Upon seeing the headmaster's wife entering, the students sat up taller in their seats. Several picked their bags up off the floor to ensure there were no tripping hazards as she made her way up to where her husband stood. Severus curtly excused the students, taking care to see that the door shut securely behind the last one. When he turned back to Caterina, she flung herself into his arms. A raw fear constricted within his chest for a moment as he held her. It was very rare for her to visit him between classes. Gently he pulled back to see her face and inquire what was wrong when he noticed her eyes were red from crying, though he couldn't tell if they had been happy or sad tears.

"What is it, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice tense.

Caterina thrust the parchment into his hand. "Poppy said I need to switch to this prenatal potion."

Unrolling it, he quickly scanned over what was listed on the parchment. His mind filled with many different thoughts.

"This is _much_ stronger. Why?" he asked with his black eyes alertly trained on his sweet Love's face.

Caterina simply stared back, handing him the box. Opening the lid, he simply stared down at what was inside. He looked at Caterina for some sort of clarification.

She gave a sweet smile and lovingly lifted out two sets of white baby booties. "_Twins_, Severus! We're having _twins_!"

The shock quickly wore off of Caterina and she blissfully floated around with an unending smile. Severus, however, remained in a state of complete shock for several days at least, as he tried to get used to the new idea of not _one_, but _two_ babies. If Caterina had to put a word with how he acted, she would have gone with nervous. It was quite endearing to see such a powerful and accomplished wizard nervous over babies and she did what she could to allay his nerves. Surprisingly, it was the most unexpected thing that eventually calmed him.

During their next visit to see Poppy, she let them hear the babies heartbeats for the first time. Severus was so enthralled by hearing those two steady rhythms intertwined with Caterina's own. She seriously believed if he could have done so, he would have listened to them all day long. Those tiny beating heart sounds made the babies all the more real to him at last and Caterina giggled at the unusually soft smile she caught on his lips for the rest of the day.

Poppy explained that with magic they could find out with certainty what the babies' sexes were by the end of the next week. They began talking about different names for boys and girls and it was as if, overnight, their lives became encompassed with all things baby-related. Caterina found herself quite nervous on the way to find out what the babies were, though she knew she and Severus both had no preference and would be delighted no matter what.

Severus lifted her up onto the edge of the exam bed in the private room while they waited for Poppy. He stood by her side, stroking his fingers through her curls as she rested her head on his chest.

"Once we find out, I guess it would do to finally let the students know," he said quietly.

"You sure you're ready for that, Darling?" she teased him. "The corridors will be brimming over with them all discussing rampant theories on how the headmaster knocked up his wife, you know."

His lips twisted in a quick scowl at the thought. "That should prove for some interesting entertainment, though not nearly as enjoyable as actually _knocking you up_, my dear."

Caterina laughed. They only waited a few minutes longer for Madam Pomfrey. Once Severus helped her lay back against a pillow, he tightly held her hand while Poppy started the spell to discover what the babies were. They all stared at Caterina's exposed tummy. About thirty seconds after the spell began, a thin wispy smoke came from the tip of her wand, floating and fluttering just above Caterina's belly. After a minute, it divided into two separate clouds that each started to take on a different color, the one on the left turning a sky blue while the one on the right turned a soft rosy pink.

"I think you both know how to read that for yourselves," the medi-witch chuckled as Caterina beamed with pure joy.

"I guess I didn't realize it could go fifty-fifty," Severus mused. "But I'm pleased."

The student body gave a deafening cheer at Severus' announcement and, after that, the congratulations began to pour in. There were, of course, a few silly rumors and odd stories that bounced around the halls of Hogwarts over the news but, for the most part, it was eagerly welcomed. The students were always very kind and accepting of Caterina but now they seemed to bend over backwards for her when they encountered her, always offering their assistance and asking how she felt. Despite it all, there were times she felt sure that if Severus could have it his way, he'd keep her in a large protective bubble.

The morning sickness all but passed by mid-February and Caterina was positively glowing with excitement. She was feeling absolutely wonderful even with two tiny lives, always growing and changing inside her. Quite happily she began the merry chore of picking out baby furniture and buying baby clothes while even getting some honest input from Severus from time to time over things.

Just when she was about four months along, she felt the first flutters from the babies. Something woke her up in the wee hours of the morning and that's when she first discovered them. She lay there with a broad smile, her hands resting on her tummy. Severus, seemingly more attuned to Caterina than ever before, woke as well, and immediately asked her if anything was wrong. She simply took his hand and pressed it along the side of her abdomen where there was the most amount of movement. They lay there, eyes locked, snuggling close together and enjoying the warmth of each other's love as well as the new sensations from their tiny babies.

By March there was no hiding the fact that she was pregnant as her bump grew and Caterina started wearing maternity clothing. Severus rearranged his Friday schedule, allowing him to be completely free after lunch from then on, so they could start spending more time at the cottage on the weekends getting the nursery ready and preparing for the twins. During one of those weekend visits that month, Severus and Caterina started discussing the subject of Godparents. Severus quickly decided that they should chose a muggle and a wizard to evenly represent both worlds and Caterina felt it was a wonderful idea. And in no time at all, they settled upon Jamison and Minerva.

Without a doubt, Jamison readily accepted to be the twins' godfather. They'd invited him and Sloan to dinner at the cottage and asked him afterwards. Then Caterina and Sloan spent the rest of the evening chatting happily and combing through baby things as they puttered about in the nursery, while Jamison and Severus discussed the world of cars out in the garage.

Once they were back at Hogwarts for the week, they approached Minerva together one evening in her office. She was truly touched and honored at what they asked, her eyes welling up with pride. But suddenly she stood, smoothing out the front of her robes. Then the stately witch turned to gaze out her office window at the darkened castle grounds.

"Before I give my answer, there's something you need to know, because you may change your minds."

Caterina glanced questioningly at Severus while rubbing her protruding belly, then back to Minerva. "Okay, but I can assure you, _whatever_ it is, we won't change our minds; you mean the world to us."

Minerva inhaled deeply as she turned back to face them both. "It was _I_ who killed Lucius Malfoy."

* * *

A/N: Bouncing babies...awww! Is everyone happy about the twins? Caterina certainly is and Severus is too! :) Now did anyone possibly figure out Minerva as being the one who did Lucius in? Shocked? Surprised? We're about to find out why and how! :D

I want to thank everyone again for continuing to read, only two more updates to go! ;) Hugs to you all, especially to those have shared their thoughts along the way and added the story to their favorites! *Snapey smooches*


	59. Hearts are Home

**A/N: Reposting, Jan 2012, with corrections and edits.** **Epilogue to be posted soon. ;)**

* * *

**Chapter 59**

**Hearts are Home**

Caterina leaned forward on the padded scarlet settee she shared with Severus and blinked, sucking in a deep, sharp breath over the shock of what had just been said. She looked to Severus again, whose own face mirrored the disbelief she was feeling over Minerva's sudden and startling confession.

"Ahh, what do you mean, _you_ killed him?" Caterina asked in a shaky whisper, trying to decipher whether she'd meant figuratively or literally.

Minerva stepped forward slightly, opening her mouth to speak, when Severus stood and held up a firm hand to silence her. Drawing out his wand, he turned toward the closed door and in a deep, low murmur, he uttered several spells to protect anything that would further be said within the office. Then giving her a nod, he returned to his seat beside Caterina. Immediately, she instinctively sought out his hand and pulled it to rest on her enlarged belly, interlaced with her own fingers.

Minerva watched them, a certain distant look of understanding and appreciation entering her eyes. "You are not the only one who has had precious secrets that they've kept hidden for years, Severus. I have a few that are older and probably buried just as deep, if not deeper than a few of yours were."

Her face drew into a most serious pose and she quietly sat in her desk chair. "Many years ago, I too was at one time very much in love with someone. Back when Dumbledore was just beginning to suspect Voldemort but had not yet formed The Order of the Phoenix. We met through Dumbledore, in fact. Bernard and I, and well, let's just say that the two of you remind me a lot of us."

Minerva paused for a moment, appearing to try and collect her thoughts. It was plain to see the tears starting to well up in her eyes. Caterina couldn't possibly imagine what they might have gone through, knowing all that she and Severus had had to endure before things worked out for them. She held a strong suspicion that things hadn't worked out for Minerva and Bernard, like they had for Severus and herself.

In soft whisper, Caterina spoke. "What happened to him Minerva?"

The usually so poised and stern witch blinked once, a small tear sliding down her wrinkled cheek. "We had three amazing and wonderful years together before… before he was lost to the cause. Bernard was a very gifted Auror but it wasn't enough. There was strong evidence to support he was possibly one of the first few wizards to come in contact with and be killed by Voldemort, way back at his beginnings."

Glancing at Severus, she could tell from the stunned look on his face he had never heard any of this before. Leaning forward to reach across the desk, Caterina gave the older witch's hand a comforting squeeze.

Minerva quickly composed herself, giving her a grateful smile before continuing. "It's been decades but at times it all seems just as fresh and painful as if it were only yesterday. Few knew of us and even fewer still knew that we had a child, a son. But he was lost as well."

Caterina let out a horrified gasp and felt Severus' hand tighten slightly against her swollen stomach, protectively. His thumb began to gently rub back and forth in a comforting fashion.

"It wasn't Voldemort, however, who killed my son. It was Lucius Malfoy."

"What?" asked Caterina and Severus in unison.

Minerva simply nodded. "My son, also named Bernard, was providing information for Dumbledore when he first formed the Order. I was so proud of how hard he was working and following in his father's footsteps. I just never realized they would be literal steps. One day he took some ill-advised information and, on checking it out, he crossed paths with Lucius just after he'd joined Voldemort's ranks and… well, he fell victim to the twisted ideals and vile agenda."

Severus closed his eyes and shook his head in disgust. "I've heard the stories of Lucius' first few killings many times before. It was something he often bragged of, especially when drinking. The glory days of the quest for ultimate dominance and power… how he referred to them." He studied her face for a moment. "But you waited all these years to exact revenge?"

Minerva let out a small 'tsk'. "For years I never dreamed of having an opportunity to get revenge upon him. It was not until this summer, in finding out the truth about you and Caterina and what the both of you had suffered, before I was given my chance." She gave Severus a sideways glance. "I do hope you'll forgive me for not coming to you immediately when I figured out that it was Malfoy who had actually attacked Caterina. It was an opportunity I couldn't allow to pass by."

"When or how did you figure it out?" asked Severus with great interest.

"Do you remember the stray cat at St. Mungo's?" The older witch gave a brief chuckle. "That had been me snooping around for information. I accessed and read the file you were not allowed to see and within that information, I began to build upon my theories. But it all came together completely when I remembered suddenly, one morning, a conversation I had overheard back in March between Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle." She gave a smirk. "During that year, I'd taken to roaming through the castle more often in my animagus form, hoping to pick up any bit of useful information."

Severus raised a brow. "I was not aware of that."

"And for good reason too. Apparently Draco kept in touch with those two, keeping them up to date from time to time. Goyle was explaining to Crabbe how Draco had informed him that his father was celebrating in having gotten to someone very important. Someone who had slighted Draco's favor by stealing his moment. There was talk of a secret attack that had been ordered and carried out successfully." Her eyes flicked to Caterina. "At the time, I'd immediately thought of you, Severus, but you never spoke of any ill happening and I, not knowing of Caterina at the time, simply pushed the information aside. When it was brought back to my memory, I checked the dates against everything and I realized that I'd witnessed the conversation just two days after the attack on Caterina had fallen."

Caterina sat, leaning on Severus with one hand tightly squeezing his, the other rubbing circles on the top of her belly. "But how did you manage it all, without getting caught?"

"Again, my animagus form aided in that."

"But you are registered and your form is known to many," Severus observed pointedly.

"All my years in Transfiguration have not been for naught, Severus," Minerva quipped. "I've discovered a few quiet tricks, if you will, just as I'm sure you have in Potions. Let's just say I've learned to change my markings and leave it at that, if you will. It _was_ poison that killed him, starting out hidden in the handle of that ridiculous cane of his and laced in the ink of his Daily Prophet."

"I've already worked out which rare and undetectable poison you must have used. And those are rather ingenious places to hide it," Severus mused. "The cane held his wand and never left his side and the paper would always have been delivered directly to him. Then you collected all the blood samples, giving you further and more convenient access to their home."

Minerva simply nodded.

Caterina and Severus looked at each other, knowingly. "Minerva, do you honestly believe we wouldn't want you as our babies' Godmother after all you've done? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have Severus back and I might not have ever recovered. _We_ wouldn't be here. You've done more than we ever could have hoped to wish for. You are always going to be a part of our family." Then she stood up and crossed around behind the desk to hug the matronly witch, her blue eye teeming with tears.

Minerva, still feeling overwhelmed at their request, simply nodded her acceptance and embraced Caterina back in a warm motherly fashion, her own eyes moist with tears.

Severus stood, a firm, decisive expression on his visage. "As far as I'm concerned, this is a closed book. We now know the truth of what really happened and that's all that matters. It never needs to be brought up again, with anyone." He continued in a soft tone while Caterina shook her head in full agreement. "We are most grateful and indebted to you for all that you have done for us. It's lifted a weighty burden from off my mind, now knowing what exactly happened."

And they left it at that. There was no need for anyone else to ever find out exactly what had happened to Lucius Malfoy. For all his years of plotting, scheming, plundering and murder - it had finally caught up with him, affording him the just rewards for his efforts.

* * *

In anticipation of Caterina giving birth during the summer holiday, Severus decidedly began an early start on wrapping up important things for the end of the school term. Only too desirous to get them out of the way, he arranged the necessary meetings with Kingsley and the newly formed educational board, who were all pleased with the changes brought about in the past two school years. They were eager for things to continue as such and to remain on track, well into the future of educating the next generations of witches and wizards. It was easy to see how proud Severus was over all he'd been able to accomplish in the past two years, even while still teaching part-time.

Caterina and Severus retired to their room as usual after dinner one evening not long after Minerva had disclosed her secret. Once Caterina had changed into a comfortable flowing satin nightgown, she padded over to Severus, who sat on the couch staring contemplatively at the fireplace. Upon seeing her, he smiled and drew her down onto his lap. She reached up with both hands, gently running her fingers through his hair, lightly caressing his scalp with her fingernails. They stared at each other in silence for a long while, his hands tracing smooth circles across the soft skin of her back.

Finally he softly whispered, "How is it, with each passing day, you grow more and more beautiful to me? And I had no idea pregnancy could be so agreeable with anyone. Your hair is curlier, your figure is just as appealing as ever, and I can't seem to get enough of you."

Caterina just blushed sweetly and, taking his hand in hers, she positioned it on the side of her stomach. "Someone's quite active at the moment."

Severus took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "This is still so unbelievable, two tiny lives within you."

Sighing pleasantly, she rested her head upon his shoulder while he gently rubbed his hand back and forth on her bulge. "They seem to know your touch. And somehow it calms them."

He tipped her chin up to place a kiss on her lips. "And I think I know what calms you best, my Love."

Severus stood with her in his arms and carried her over to their bed. After he tugged the turquoise nightgown up over her head, he carefully laid her down. Lovingly he kissed all around her swollen belly, making his way up to admire her full breasts before lavishing them with warm kisses. Letting out several soft moans, Caterina reached up to unbutton his shirt. Once freed of his clothes, she curled up on her side and he eagerly lay down behind her, molding his body to hers and slowly entering her. Then he took his time, gently making sweet love to his wife. Afterwards they cuddled blissfully in each other's arms for a long time, watching the fire light dance about their room.

Caterina rolled over to better face him. "Severus I've been doing a lot of thinking. I'd really like to have our babies at the cottage. I've spent so much time in hospitals over the years. I think it would be really special and so much more comfortable for all of us. Poppy would be more than willing to come there for the birth as I've already discussed it with her."

Severus remained quiet for several minutes. He didn't know what he thought about this. The idea of her not being within immediate access of full medical care, should anything happen, truly scared the hell out of him. But he understood the reasons behind her request and he didn't want to dismiss her immediately, knowing he had the hardest time denying anything that she asked of him.

He took a deep breath. "Let's discuss it with Healer Brock to see what he advises, being that he's your main physician, before we make a decision."

"You really mean that?"

He pulled her as close as her growing belly would allow and gently stroked his fingers up and down the bare skin of her sides. "Of course I mean that."

Given the great size of the castle, Caterina began limiting her ventures about it to spending time out by the lake on the lovely spring days with Severus, and to going between the headmaster's office, the infirmary and the Great Hall. Once a week, though, she could be found having tea in Minerva's office as they chatted happily away about baby things and changes the little ones would be sure to bring. One afternoon, upon Severus' return to their room from teaching his classes, he discovered Caterina snuggled up on the couch with a stack of colorful picture books.

"And what do we have here?" he asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow as he sat down beside her.

She smiled charmingly at him as he rested his hand on her ever protruding tummy. "I was just going through some of these books for the twins."

"Where did they come from?"

Severus picked up the one on top and began flipping through it. It was filled with pictures of cute baby animals living on a farm. He laid it aside and selected another one with three dressed pigs on the front, each with assorted building materials. Snorting a few times, he turned the pages. For some reason the story seemed somewhat familiar to him from his own youth.

"They were mine. From when I was little. They were packed away in a box at the cottage so I sent Stella to retrieve it for me. I remember most of these… ahh, this one was one of my favorites… full of dreamy tales of magic, handsome princes and splendid castles." Giving a lighthearted giggle, she stroked Severus' cheek. "Hmm, now that all seems so much more familiar nowadays."

She carefully lifted the thick blue padded book with gold-embossed writing on the front and gold-edged pages. Caterina lovingly ran her fingers over the front of the book, tracing a nail along the letters on the title, _A Children's Treasury of Fairytales_. She opened it up to the table of contents and began to scan her finger down the story listings.

Severus watched her intently. "It will be a long time before they'll be able to read though."

"Of course it will." She chuckled. "But until then, _we'll_ be the ones doing the reading, to them."

Caterina looked down and patted her belly gently. "You'll just love mummy and daddy reading to you both, won't you?"

"I guess I had never thought of that either," Severus said, giving her a strange look over her use of the word _daddy_, before grinning. "You do know you're doing that more and more, each day… talking to them like that?"

"Well, why not? It will help them get used to my voice. You could do it too, you know. You know how much I adore listening to your rich, velvety voice and I bet they'll love it as well. In fact, you could start right now, letting them get used to hearing you. I certainly wouldn't mind."

She flashed him an irresistible smile and Severus knew he was captured. Glancing down at the book in her hands, he asked, "What do you think they would like to hear first?"

"_Sleeping Beauty _has always been a personal favorite of mine," Caterina teased.

Severus kissed her temple and smirked, thinking of all the times he'd used that exact same phrase in reference to Caterina. Taking the book from her hands, he repositioned himself on the couch so that she could easily rest back against his chest. Casting a quick charm on the book, causing it to hover before him, he pulled her back toward him, gently rubbing his hands along the sides of her belly while he began to read. Caterina closed her eyes, feeling utterly peaceful as she listened to his wondrously relaxing voice. It wasn't long before her two tiny little bundles calmed and seemed to be listening right along.

* * *

Later that week, when they met with Healer Brock, he quickly agreed to allowing Caterina the option of delivering the babies at their home. "You're in absolute perfect health, the babies both appear to be strong and thriving. I'm all for it, as a home birth does make the adjustment period and transition much easier on everyone."

Caterina was delighted by the news and Severus agreed to it, keeping his reservations to himself. Once they were back at the castle he caught her giving several delighted twirls on her toes. He watched her, admiring how she was still entirely graceful in her movements, in spite of her burgeoning belly.

"Hmm… So, it's finally happened," she stated, looking down towards the floor when she came to a stop.

"What has?" he asked sharply.

"I can no longer see my toes, at all. Madam Charlotte always said when that happened, it was high time to retire one's ballet slippers."

Severus gave an indignant scowl, completely shocked at the thought. "You can't really mean that!"

Placing her hands on his chest, her brilliant blue eyes sparkled up into his. "Yes, actually, I do. At least for some time anyway. Besides, being pregnant with this large belly completely throws off my sense of balance."

Severus let out a relieved sigh, elated to know that it was not permanent.

By mid-April, Severus was really beginning to worry about Caterina, probably more than was necessary but as they were entering into a great unknown, he just couldn't help himself. With each passing week, she was growing larger and, though she did not ever complain, she was definitely beginning to slow down. Things such as walking from their room to the Great Hall for meals really winded her. He tried unsuccessfully to get her to take most meals in their room but she said she enjoyed the walking and she didn't want to miss time spent with him. Severus insisted that he would start eating with her in the room but she argued he couldn't do that as his presence was needed in the Great Hall with the students. Severus decided not to push the issue but he didn't like it and he implored Stella to keep an extra careful watch over her when she made her way through the castle.

Resolutely, he put his foot down one afternoon when he found that she had tripped going up some steps. Caterina was fine, as well as the babies, but she had two nasty bruises just below her knees from where she'd made contact with the stone steps. He quickly healed them, though he himself remained shaken for quite a while afterwards.

"Enough is _enough_. _You_, your safety and the babies are far more important to me than anything else." He gave a snorting sneer. "And I don't care whether or not you are protected by the Uno Protetto spell! We're going back to the cottage and will finish out the rest of the term from there. The fireplace is already connected to the Floo network so I can easily and quickly go between the two."

From the supremely firm expression etched upon his face, Caterina didn't argue and the more she thought about it, she actually welcomed his idea. It would be nice to have a lot less steps and corridors, with everything much closer together in their cottage. And she could begin with all the final touches to the babies' room. Stella, of course, came along to assist with cooking, cleaning, and anything else Caterina might need done. And at Severus' suggestion, she contacted Sloan. Sloan was only working part-time as a nurse, so she was thrilled to come spend her off days helping Caterina while Severus was at Hogwarts.

When May arrived, Caterina found herself hitting the uncomfortable stage due to the size of her stomach and the overall swelling that came with being pregnant. The babies both seemed quite active and at times she had trouble getting any rest from it. There certainly was something to be said for Severus' touch and his voice. For it always seemed as though he could calm them. Many times, Caterina wondered aloud if it were possibly due to a magical connection. She'd read up on such things in several witches' pregnancy books loaned to her by Poppy.

As the month passed, Severus' preoccupation and anxiousness over Caterina could clearly be seen much of the time. He'd never experienced anything like it before. By the middle of the month, both Poppy and Brock suggested that Caterina stick to very light duties, keeping off her feet and resting as much as she could. Her mood was not to be dampened by any of it, though Severus was especially torn leaving her each morning, leading Minerva to quickly come up with a fitting solution that would best ease his worries.

"Horace and I are quite capable of splitting your afternoon classes of advanced potions between us. That would free you to return home each day by lunch," she stated, approaching him one afternoon in his classroom.

Immediately, Severus started to protest but she curtly hushed him. "The timing of these events cannot always be helped. You will never get this back and it's a very special time for the both of you, entering into parenthood. I may not be the wiz that you are in potions but I can certainly manage to hold my own for the three weeks left with your lessons and Horace's help. And I think you'll find that even the students are understanding in this situation."

With an unmistakable reluctance evident in his countenance, Severus inhaled deeply. The continued years of going it alone with no help in his many duties, along with his Slytherin side, made him always leery of offers of assistance. But weighing all important concerning factors in the balance, and knowing it was an honest offer with no hidden agenda for personal gain over him in some way, he accepted her proposal. In a moment of personal revelation, Severus realized that he was beginning to willingly place a much larger amount of trust in those he'd closely associated with for years.

Finishing out the rest of the term in such a manner took a heavy burden from his shoulders, now that he only spent, at the most, four or five hours each day away from Caterina. While he saw to diminishing the last pile of Hogwarts paperwork in the evening, Caterina snuggled by him on the couch, resting comfortably against his warmth. She occupied herself with a variety of things from pregnancy books to sifting through programs on the television. At times, Severus caught himself becoming quite distractedly and highly amused by that form of visual entertainment.

The beginning of June brought Hogwarts' graduation, effectively freeing Severus for the rest of the summer. After seeing the last of the students off, Severus assisted his very pregnant Caterina to the headmaster's office for a few final tasks he needed to see to. She tucked her feet up on the couch beside herself and rested her head back, watching Severus work, with a sweetly adoring smile on her face. There came a loud knock at the door and Caterina made to sit up but Severus gave her a firm look, telling her to stay relaxed and just as she was.

Severus called out, "_Enter_."

The door opened to reveal the Minister of Magic. Giving Caterina a quick wink, he proceeded directly to Severus, speaking for once in a very serious and low tone as he pulled two thick blue envelopes from within his robes. Severus appeared shocked by whatever they might have been and tucked them away into his own black robes for later inspection. They shared a hearty handshake and Kingsley made his way back to the door, to leave as quickly as he had come.

With a large, warm smile at Caterina, he paused. "I want to be informed as soon as you have them. And don't worry, I will hold off the press until you're both ready to share them."

"What was that all about, Severus?"

"Just some matters he would like me to look over in private and then report back to him on," Severus replied with an absentminded looking stare, holding something small in his hands.

"Such as…?" she queried, drawing herself up to make her way toward him.

"I'm not sure but until I discuss things with him, it's something I can't even inform you of. Don't worry, he was quite insistent that it is nothing dangerous," he quickly added seeing a flash of fear on her face. "I'm finished here now if you are sufficiently rested."

Caterina stared oddly up at him before reaching over to pluck the small object from his hands. It was the cork stopper from a wine bottle. Turning it in her fingers, she could barely make out the name, now rather faded on the top, but as she did, a slow smile of realization spread across her face. Looking back to Severus, he too was smiling now.

"You recognize it?"

"Of course I do. And I've been meaning to ask you for ages what you put in the wine that night? It was… extraordinarily memorable," Caterina said wistfully.

Cupping her face in his hands, he kissed her lips and spoke softly. "That's exactly what I wanted it to be, since I was leaving you shortly afterwards." He tucked several curls back from her cheek and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "It was a fairly simple lust potion… not that we've ever needed one but it- "

"Effectively enhanced everything for that wondrous evening," Caterina finished for him.

With a nod, he hugged her close as he could as she tugged on his collar to pull him down closer with a seductive smile playing on her lips. "Do you think, maybe sometime after…" Caterina gave a glance down at her large belly, "Could we have another go with it?"

Severus grinned devilishly at her. "Most definitely. Anything for _you_. Now let's get back home."

* * *

The next few days passed peaceably for them. Severus met once more with Kingsley to discuss whatever the private matter might have been. Caterina supposed that if she were not so pregnant and preoccupied, the whole secretive affair might interest her but she didn't press him for any details. Poppy came by early in the week for a checkup and informed Caterina that she had now reached the point where she could safely delivery at any time, despite it being a whole month until her actual due date.

"What?" Severus nearly spit out his sip of tea.

Poppy chortled at his expression. "Did you really expect her to last until July? With twins, many women go sooner than their given date. It's nothing to be alarmed about and I'm sure it would be a welcomed relief to your wife for that to happen."

Caterina let out a happy sigh. "Yes it _certainly_ would."

Severus hadn't given any thought to her going early as, in his mind, he'd been ticking the days off that were left until her due date. This news threw his thoughts into a tailspin, not wanting to leave her alone now and not wanting to chance missing anything that was to come. He woke early the next morning, his mind split between thoughts of Caterina and that of a meeting scheduled with Kingsley in only a few short hours. Gazing over her sleeping form curled next to him, he softly kissed her cheek before casting a silencing charm around the bed so not to disturb her as he got ready for the day. Once showered and dressed, Severus spent awhile contemplating his meeting and going over all the information given to him as Stella started breakfast for them both. Soon he heard Caterina moving about upstairs.

Listening carefully, he heard the shower start but then stop again. Then he heard the soft bang of something hitting the floor. Fear seized him and instantly he apparated into their bathroom, looking around wild-eyed. Caterina was sitting on the edge of the tub, still in her nightgown and holding her stomach.

Rushing forward to kneel before her, he searched her face. "What's wrong? I heard something… _are you alright_?"

Letting out a pent-up breath, she made a grimace. "Yes…and no. I simply knocked over the shampoo bottle." Her vivid eyes flicked up to his face as she reached out to grip his hand. "But my water broke, Severus."

His eyes widened with disbelief. "Are you sure?"

Looking down at the floor, she squeezed his hand, "_Positive_."

His black eyes followed hers downward, widening even more. "Already?"

"I guess they're ready to come out," she grinned. "I'm certainly ready to meet them."

"Have… Have your contractions started?" Severus asked her, looking somewhat paler than normal.

Caterina simply nodded and he swallowed hard. It only took a few minutes to decipher how far apart they were.

Severus helped her back to their bed, adjusting it with his wand to the specifications Madam Pomfrey had given him that would aid in the easiest birth. And he summoned Stella, sending her immediately off to alert Healer Brock and to fetch Poppy and Minerva. Once the two witches had arrived, Caterina suggested sending Stella to alert Jamison and Sloan as well, who both returned promptly with the little elf. The next several hours passed in a complete whirlwind as her contractions grew closer and closer together.

Wanting to be thoroughly prepared, Severus had spent weeks brewing a wide variety of potions any chance he got, all of which were ones he'd read to be useful to the birthing process. Now he was suddenly wondering if he had prepared enough or if there were any important ones that he might have missed. He hadn't left Caterina's side since the whole ordeal began but at the shrill sound of the doorbell, she motioned for him to go attend to it. Feeling quite perturbed that anyone would dare disturb them at such a delicate time, he yanked the door open, ready to lash out. Surprise hit his eyes in finding Kingsley Shacklebolt along with one of his aides standing there.

With a wide smile he clapped Severus hard on the shoulder. "I _know_ you and I know there's only _one_ reason that would cause you to miss our meeting today." Leaning in the doorway and peering all about, he listened excitedly. "Have they arrived yet?"

"_Nooo_." Severus growled.

"Ahh, well good," said the minister who pushed on past him into the living room, followed by the aide.

Severus was about to strongly protest when a sudden movement out on the sidewalk caught his eye. Blinking swiftly, he couldn't believe it as Pomona, Flitwick and Slughorn all came into view. They discovered Poppy and Minerva gone and quickly figured out the reason why. A deep growl threatened to tear loose from the back of his throat. But before he knew it, they also had entered the cottage and were talking excitedly with Kingsley and Jamison. Stella peeked her head around the corner, clapped her hands excitedly and disappeared back into the kitchen. Quite firmly and against his better judgment, Severus informed them that they could stay if they kept their voices down and did not disturb Caterina. Then he proceeded back upstairs to his wife's side.

"She's doing just beautifully," chirped Poppy, "and things are moving along nicely. Shouldn't be more than a few hours at most."

"_Hours_?" Caterina repeated in a drained voice. Inhaling deeply, she once again gripped his hand as a rather harsh contraction rippled through her. "Who was it?"

She didn't look pleased when he informed her and just as he finished speaking, the doorbell rang again.

Closing her eyes and resting her head back, she crossed an arm around her belly. "You'd better go see to that as well."

Managing to save his cursing snarl until he was out of the room, he bounded down the steps to find Hagrid and Sibyll being admitted into their house. Everyone bustled about, talking merrily. Their living room had _literally _turned into a waiting room, though Severus couldn't be bothered to greet the newcomers. Jamison had more than half of them entranced anyway, by showing them all the television and camcorder. Noticing several large plates of food now sitting about, Severus stole a glance into the kitchen where he discovered Stella busily cooking, along with the aid of two more elves she must have summoned from Hogwarts. Closing his gleaming black eyes, he gave a sharp pinch to the bridge of his nose before heading back up to his Caterina, only to find that Healer Brock had now also arrived with an assistant.

So much for Caterina's dream of giving birth in the peace and quiet comfort of their own home, he thought angrily. Stopping at the top of the steps, he thought for a long moment. Pulling out his wand, he effectively warded the steps against anyone coming up unwelcomed. With another wide flourish, he blocked all sound from downstairs as well, not wanting Caterina to be bothered in the slightest by anything.

In the end her labor lasted about eleven hours, with Severus being on edge the entire time. The whimpering sounds she made, along with the way her face contorted over the pain at times, nearly ripped his heart out, reminding him of someone experiencing the terrors of the Cruciatus Curse. He wondered just how despicable he must truly be, to have put her through this willingly. Yet despite everything, Caterina still managed a sweet, hopeful smile for him from time to time.

Just when he thought he himself couldn't take much more, Brock suddenly declared it was time for her to start pushing. Squeezing Severus' hand with all her might, she gave it her best effort, pushing when told and shortly after, Brock announced he could see the first baby starting to crown.

Within a few minutes, their little boy was born. Caterina relaxed slightly, gasping several times as Poppy held him up for her to see. He was perfect with a fluffy tuft of dark hair atop his tiny head. A radiant smile lit up her tear stained face just before more labor pains overtook her again. Severus stayed with her, while Poppy and Sloan saw to cleaning up and checking over the new little one. And by the time he was swaddled in a warm blue blanket, his sister was well on her way to joining him.

Brock held the tiny girl up for Caterina to see, who also had a mass of thick black hair on her little head. Her tiny arms were flailing about as she whimpered, letting out an occasional wail. He passed the infant over to Poppy then went back to tending Caterina. With a surprising quickness and precision of his wand, he checked over her vitals and took care of cleaning her up. Then with several more turns of his wrist, the bed sheets were changed, as well as Caterina's nightgown, all without disturbing her and just in time for her to welcome both babies into her arms.

Glistening tears continued to slide down her cheeks, though this time they were of utter joy. Severus stayed close, watching in complete awe while she nuzzled them both to herself and kissed their little faces.

"Oh, Severus, look at them! They're beautiful and they're _ours_! Two tiny and perfect babies… heavens, what are we going to do?" she said, giving an excited giggle and sniffing through her happy tears.

Poppy stepped forward, a wide grin on her face. "Well, as I've always said, you figured out how to make them easily enough, you should easily be able to figure out how to take care of them."

Caterina shifted around to sit up a little better against the pillows behind her. Feeling Severus' warm breath against her shoulder, she turned to face him. He was staring down at the two infants in her arms while appearing to be almost frozen in place, as if he was completely mesmerized. Looking at his dark eyes, she noticed them welling up. Tilting her head slightly forward, she gently kissed his cheek, resting her head on his.

"Here, why don't you hold your little girl?" she offered softly.

Quite unsure as to whether he was doing it properly, he reached out and lifted the tiny pink bundle with extreme caution, bringing her close to his chest. Staring down at her for a long moment, he slowly lowered his head, his long black hair brushing over her until he tenderly kissed his new daughter on the forehead. Then with a gentle finger, he lovingly smoothed down the black hair on her head. It was then that Caterina looked around and realized everyone had left them alone to privately welcome the new little ones into their family. Neither one of them spoke for a long time, as they just enjoyed these first few new moments. After a little while they switched babies, Severus taking his son into his arms, kissing his little forehead just as he had his daughter's.

He reached out and caressed Caterina's cheek. "I've witnessed countless things in my life, both terrible and great, but what you just did has to be, by far, the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Thank you for this, _for them_," he whispered.

There came a quiet knock at the door and they looked up to see Jamison standing there. "I don't want to intrude but the natives are getting most restless, eager for a peek as well as to know their names. We already got the rundown of their vital statistics."

Severus snorted softly. "Give us a few more minutes, we'll see what we can do."

He and Caterina had tentatively picked out names for them both but had wanted to be sure the names fit once the babies were finally born. Looking to Caterina, she smiled and nodded her head.

"I think they'll do nicely… Sebastian Severus and Sophie Eileen it is."

It took about an hour before everyone quietly passed through the room to offer their congratulations and to welcome the tiny twins who each weighed just over five pounds. They explained that Sebastian's name had come from both their families, on the Prince side for Severus and from Caterina's father as well. And Sophie had been the middle name of Caterina's mother.

When the cottage was empty again, with the exception of Sloan and Jamison, Severus finally felt like he could catch his breath and relax somewhat, though he couldn't imagine how Caterina must feel after her ordeal. After inquiring what she'd like to eat, he set Stella about to quickly prepare it. Once she ate something and felt a little stronger, Caterina insisted on getting the twins into some proper clothing. Sloan brought her several choices while Severus and Jamison saw to bringing the bassinet into their room, positioning it at the end of their bed. Then Sloan and Jamison saw to tidying up the downstairs from all the company, allowing for more quiet bonding time with the twins.

Severus sat down beside Caterina just as Sophie started to cry. "What's wrong?"

"She's probably just hungry." Caterina reasoned.

Gently handing over Sebastian, Caterina unbuttoned the top of her nightgown and Severus watched in amazement as the tiny baby immediately started to suckle from Caterina's breast. Once the little newborn has had her fill, Sebastian got his turn.

"So amazing… I had no idea just how fascinating this all would be." Severus offered softly.

"And it's only just the beginning," Caterina mused, giving a tired but genuinely happy sigh.

Severus cradled his sleeping daughter in his arms, most unwilling to part with her just yet. "Are you sure it wouldn't be safer to just hold them all night?"

"Severus! What if you rolled over? Besides they'll be waking us every few hours when they're hungry, so we'll get to hold them plenty."

Looking into her tired blue eyes, he chuckled. "I suppose you're right. And _you_, my Darling Love, most certainly need to get any and every bit of adequate sleep when you can."

They spent a long time holding and cuddling their tiny babies before finally relinquishing them to the safe confines of the bassinet. Once they were inside together, they immediately found each other's hand and rested them together.

Caterina gasped and teared up over the sight. "Oh... that's precious! They already know each other and take comfort in the other's presence."

* * *

With the arrival of Sophie and Sebastian, the following weeks sped by in a blur, among all the countless feedings and changings. Caterina and Severus enjoyed every single moment of it, even the long ones that cropped up in the middle of the night. Stella was a Godsend, tending to the house, laundry and making most of the meals. At times, there seemed to be an endless stream of visitors stopping by, though Kingsley held to his promise and the Daily Prophet only ran a small announcement concerning their birth.

One afternoon in August, Caterina and Severus picnicked under the shade of the giant Holme tree as Sophie and Sebastian lay sleeping in their laps.

"It's unbelievable to think that they're already a month and a half old, isn't it Severus? They're growing so much… Why, in a few weeks time we'll be headed back to Hogwarts."

"No… actually we _won't_," Severus said slowly.

Caterina looked startled. "What do you mean, we _won't_?"

"I have resigned as headmaster."

"But why? And why didn't you tell me?"

"First of all, I couldn't tell you until it was approved, and secondly, simply because with the arrival of our little ones, it pretty much slipped my mind." Severus nodded toward the twins.

"Is this what Kingsley wanted, that last day?"

He nodded his head. "It was most unexpected, but it seems Hufferton is retiring."

Caterina wrinkled up her nose. "That Unspeakable? The one who gave you such a horrid time?"

"The very one. And strangely enough, he highly recommended that I be the one to take his place in the Experimental Potions department within the Department of Mysteries."

"As an Unspeakable?" she asked excitedly.

Again Severus nodded. "You understand how secretive everything is, in relation with the department. It had to be passed through several different committees, without me even being allowed to tell you."

Caterina reached over and grasped his hand in hers. "And you're sure this is what you want?"

"Absolutely. Truthfully, I never felt comfortable in being headmaster. Minerva is much better suited for the job. And with this new position I slanted the whole deal in my favor." He finished with a large smirk.

Caterina chuckled. "Slanted it in your favor? Sounds like something any true Slytherin would do…."

"Being headmaster was a learning experience, that's for sure, but when compared to the chance to work solely with potions, especially in experimental stages, potions is going to win out every time."

"I'm very proud of you, Severus." Caterina gave him a radiant smile. "I don't understand it all entirely, but I do know that they don't ask just anyone to become an Unspeakable."

Clasping her hand to his cheek, she pulled him forward to kiss his lips. "Now tell me, how did you slant it in _your_ favor?"

"To be honest, it's more in _our_ favor. I'll be able to set my own hours and, with some modification to the lab area I have already set up here, I'll be able to work from home as much as I want and well, that will be every day, unless I need to confer with those at the Ministry. Essentially, I'll be able to adjust my schedule, to best fit around _us_."

Caterina let out an exuberant squeal, causing Sophie to tremble slightly in her arms. Gently soothing the little infant, she continued to beam in extreme happiness at Severus.

He hesitated before slowly continuing. "And in taking some advice offered me a while ago, I won't be starting until January. I figure it's high time I finally took a decent and well-deserved holiday, to spend time with _our _family, now that it's grown a bit."

Caterina couldn't help the joyful tears from spilling over at such news. As much as she'd enjoyed their time spent at Hogwarts, it really was like entering a new chapter in their lives with the arrival of the twins. She'd had some worries as to raising them at the school, despite how wonderful the castle and everyone there was.

Soon enough, the twins were really starting to show their personalities. They were very happy, always babbling and gurgling and seemingly very content to be together. Sebastian was quick to start rolling over and Sophie was always pushing up on her little arms, inquisitively watching everything around her. Severus and Caterina took them on long walks in their pram and spent much time outside. Every night as they tucked them in to their crib, it quickly became a tradition for Severus to read them a short story. By four months, they appeared to be very aware of each other's feelings, and if one was upset, the other would soon follow. If one was laughing, the other was quick to join in.

For Halloween, Caterina couldn't resist dressing them up as two little peas in a pod. Severus shook his head and snickered as Sophie and Sebastian laughed delightedly in their little green costumes as he made their stuffed animals fly through the air and change colors. Caterina watched with shining eyes, taking notice of how Sebastian seemed to mimic Severus' facial expressions almost exactly. At one point, Severus became distracted in what he was doing. One of the toys fell and knocked over a glass. He quickly fixed it but not before letting out a snarl.

"Do that again!" Caterina quickly commanded.

Severus arched an eyebrow. "Do what? Break the glass?"

"No, your angry face and snarl."

"Why- "

"Just do it and watch Sebastian."

When Severus repeated the face and the noise, Sebastian gave a smile, then he wrinkled up his own little nose and made funny blowing sounds out of his mouth, trying to mimic his daddy. Caterina thought it was hilariously cute and endearing, though Severus decided he'd start controlling his anger better when in their presence.

As the weather grew colder outside, Severus enjoyed bundling them up into his sleek, black Jaguar, and taking them to visit Jamison and Sloan. Caterina admired how good of a driver he had become, while knowing the multitude of protective spells he'd placed around the car caused the largest bumps in the road to go completely unnoticed. They were also sure to visit Minerva and the others at Hogwarts about once a month.

As the holidays approached, the cottage was brimming over with Christmas joy. Embroidered stockings hung from the fireplace while a steady pile of gifts built up under the Christmas tree for Sophie and Sebastian. Just before Christmas, Severus arranged for Jamison and Sloan to watch the twins overnight at the cottage while he whisked Caterina away to celebrate their anniversary and her birthday. It was a bit odd at first, being away from their little ones, but they enjoyed a very romantic getaway, greatly indulging in their time alone together and never once leaving their room as Severus treated Caterina to her request from their last day in the headmaster's office, several months previous.

Christmas Day was an absolute delight with the twins. They were just over six months old, able to sit up and grasp many things in their hands now. And while they couldn't actually open their presents, Severus placed a spell over all of them. Once Caterina had them dressed in their little Christmas outfits, they sat on the floor by the tree with the twins in their laps. Every time a gift was placed within their reach, the wrappings shimmered and flashed, disappearing at the touch of their little chubby fingers. Watching the wrappings disappear seemed almost more exciting for Sophie and Sebastian than the discovery of what was underneath them, the way they giggled and laughed over it all.

After a full day of nonstop playing, they hugged and kissed Sebastian and Sophie many times over before tucking them into their shared crib. The twins had enjoyed a fabulously fun day of discovery, being their very first Christmas. Severus dimmed the light with a wave of his hand and soon sleep claimed their tired little eyes and they lay completely at peace, gripping each other's hand, with sweet angelic smiles upon their faces.

Caterina wrapped her arms around her husband as they continued to watch their sleeping babies for several minutes longer. At last, in one fell swoop, Caterina was no longer standing on her feet, but was instead in Severus' strong arms. The light further dimmed as he carried her out of the nursery and into their own bedroom, lit only by the large fireplace. He claimed her lips in a long, passionate kiss before standing her to her feet again. Bit by bit, their clothes fell off into a small pile around the bed and he soon laid her back upon its silk sheets.

Severus paused with a broad smile, staring down at the beauty that lay beneath him, still amazed that she was his wife and that they had begun a wonderful family of their own. It was all a dream he'd never dared to allow but, somehow, it had come true, regardless. Caterina had blessed his life in more ways than he could ever possibly count and he had done the same for hers. Together, they had overcome all, as their lives became deeply interwoven and forever bonded in the strongest magic of love, creating a place… _for both their hearts to call home._

* * *

**A/N: I could finish with the words, _The End_, but in reality it's not. In so many ways, it's still just the beginning for Severus and Caterina, especially with the arrival of little Sebastian and Sophie. As for my sharing of their story though, that part is all but complete and this last chapter should have effectively tied up all the lose ends of their story. There will be an epilogue coming along shortly, set a few years into the future where you'll discover just a few more interesting things. :)**

**I do so hope those of you who have read this tale in it's entirety have thoroughly enjoyed it. I have greatly enjoyed writing and sharing it this past year. I thank you ALL from the bottom of my heart for each and every wonderful review and for the on-going encouragement you provided throughout. Many Snapey hugs to you all!**


	60. Epilogue: A Place for My Heart

**Epilogue**

**A Place for My Heart**

**~Two and a Half Years Later~**

With arms folded, Severus stood in the shadows of the cottage, listening to the two tiny, elf-sized people in the flower garden. He'd just returned from a day of meetings at the Ministry of Magic. It had been long, mostly boring and reminded him as always, just how very grateful he was that he worked from home.

"Bastian! _Bastian_! Bwing the purple bottle here an' I's put these fwower petals in it."

"But 'Ofie, I's gots my fwog in it."

"_Ewwww_! Why you puts it in the pwretty bottle? Bwings it anyway, it might work too."

Carefully lugging the heavy purple bottle between his legs as he scooted it along, some of the water still managed to slosh out over the sides. The tiny green frog trapped within looked no more worse for wear, though it took both of them and their four chubby little hands to lift it up onto the garden bench. Then they both stood back, proudly surveying the bench which was now loaded with a collection of various bottles in all colors, shapes and sizes and each filled with the oddest assortment of items.

"You finks it's enough, 'Ofie or swould we get more?"

Shrugging her tiny shoulders, she shook her little head, her large dark curls swinging back and forth in the sunlight. "Don't know. Maybe we swould ask Mummy 'gain. Mummy knows everything."

"Or Daddy. Daddy knows _everything_ that Mummy doesn't."

Severus couldn't help but chuckle himself over their grand, yet innocent assumptions. It was amazing how pure their beliefs were at the age of three and he never wanted that to change or to have it violently ripped away from them at too tender of an age. _This_ was a large part of what he'd spent so many years fighting for, though he'd just never known it at the time.

As he continued watching, they worked with their many bottles, moving them around, adding things to them or taking things out, all the while debating if they had all of the 'pwoper ingweedients' yet. Just when Sophie pronounced them to have everything, Sebastian's elbow knocked over a small round glass jar of deep blood-red. Sophie yelped and jumped back as it hit the ground, spilling out an assortment of buttons and marbles. Sebastian quickly gathered the spewed items and put them all back in the jar.

"S'ok 'Ofie. Daddy made them all no-break, 'member? I fix it," he said, putting the refilled jar back on the bench and pushing a lock of black hair out of his dark blue eyes.

Feeling a pair of hands start to snake around his waist, Severus half turned and instead of allowing them to continue, he pulled his wife to stand in front of himself, slipping his arms protectively around her. Severus kissed the top of her curls, then her forehead and at last, her sweet, full lips. Caterina snuggled close into his warm chest for a long moment, taking in his familiar and wonderful scent. Then she turned in his arms to watch their twins.

"What are our little ones up to?" she asked happily.

"I'm not entirely sure, though I believe they're making a potion of some kind again," Severus mused.

Caterina chuckled. "Just like their brilliant daddy."

"Now tell my why their brilliant parents blessed them with names they can't properly pronounce?" he asked, narrowing his dark eyes as he followed their movements.

"It will eventually pass as their speech improves. I, for one, will be quite sad when they lose that extra endearing little trait," Caterina remarked, slipping her hand into her husband's.

Hand in hand, they walked over to their children and the air was soon filled with delighted squeals.

"Daddy's home!" came their cry in unison.

Sophie and Sebastian ran to him, each claiming one of his legs and wrapping themselves around it. They squeezed his legs with their giant bear hugs and he knew what would be coming next.

"Pwease Daddy, _walk_." Sophie demanded as Sebastian chimed in with the same.

Severus looked down, checking that both of their feet where atop of his own and in placing a hand to each of their heads, he walked several paces around the garden while their wild giggles of glee rang out over their 'ride.' Caterina watched them, beaming with joy. When he pronounced that he was done, they disentangled themselves and rushed to their Mummy, grabbing her hands and pulling her to their bench of wonders.

Caterina dropped down to her knees in the grass, oohing and ahhing over their unique collection, much to their satisfaction.

Sebastian toddled over to Severus and tugged on his black trouser leg. "Daddy, do we's have 'nough stuff?"

Taking the little boy's hand, he stepped closer, squatting down to inspect their handiwork. "It looks as though you just might, but what are you attempting to make?"

Sophie, who had been hugging her Mummy around the neck, stood up and put her chubby hands on her hips as she proudly announced, "Babies!"

Severus almost choked and Caterina's hand flew up to cover her wide grin.

Sebastian thumped him on the back affectionately. "Daddy ok? Yeah, we're making babies. Mummy told us how."

Wide-eyed, Severus turned to Caterina for confirmation and she gave him a small shrug of her shoulders. "Well, you know they've been asking all kinds of questions, _especially_ since Sloan is almost due."

"Aunty Swoan made a baby with Uncle Jamison!" cheered Sophie, while clapping her little hands together in glee and jumping up and down. "Mummy told us all about it! And how you and hers made us!"

"Oh she did, _did _she?" Severus asked, his black, penetrating eyes never leaving his wife's sweet face.

"Yesss," agreed Sebastian. "Mummy said babies are made with wots of wove and passion and twust… and, I forget the others. 'Ofie? You member them?"

Sophie marched over to the bottles, and pointed a chubby finger at the assorted markings that Severus now noticed on each bottle. "Umm… I fink this is unner- unnerstanding and that's pwotection, and the wellow one bwiss."

Walking around to the other side of the bench, Sebastian pointed to a blue bottle and shouted, "Ohh! This one's not marked!"

Sophie toddled over to a large blue fabric bag that they often lugged around with them when playing anywhere in the yard. She dug around within it and finally pulled out a slightly tattered yellow and green cardboard box. Holding it against her tummy, she ran over to Sebastian, who took it, flipped up the lid and turned the contents over, onto the ground. Then they both looked down, apparently deciding which one to use.

Together they said 'black' and Sophie bent down to pick up the black marker. With a little grunt, she yanked off the cap and began to draw scribbles on the bottle. Severus watched intently, though he managed a quick peek over to Caterina who was giving him a wide smile.

"Done!" Sophie proclaimed.

Together the twins put the dislodged markers back in the box, Sophie holding it open while Sebastian plopped them in, one by one.

"So does we have enough fings, Daddy?" Sophie and Sebastian both eyed him in all seriousness.

Severus looked over their collection of sticks, flowers, rocks, string, petals, broken crayons bits, berries, and countless other things in the many bottles. Glancing once again at Caterina, she gave an encouraging nod.

Severus pulled out his wand and thought for a minute. "I believe that you do. Now go over there with Mummy."

Caterina held out her arms as the twins ran to her and quickly turned, dropping down into her lap to watch. Severus pointed his wand at the bottles and one by one they each started to glow and tremble. A soft beam of light shot out of the top of each to match the color of its bottle. Soon the colored light strands began to bend and move, dancing around until they formed a glowing dome of rainbow light over the entire bench. It lasted for a few minutes and the twins cooed happily, laughing and clapping their hands. Then there came a bright flash and the lights were gone, along with the contents of all the bottles.

Sophie screeched happily in amazement while Sebastian jumped to his feet. "Where'd it all go Daddy? Did it work?"

"Hmm… I think we'll have to wait until morning to find out if it did. Now, I believe its soon time for dinner."

All the twins could talk about for the rest of the evening was waiting to see if their potion experiment worked and if they would have any babies in the morning. Caterina inquired of Severus, just what he might have planned but he only gave her a smug mischievous grin and told her it was a surprise. For once, the twins were very excited to go to bed and didn't demand several stories to be read. After many goodnight kisses and hugs, Severus warded their bedroom door for extra measure, knowing their inquisitive and exploring natures.

A short while later, once they were in bed themselves, he pulled Caterina close to himself, kissing her deeply and running his hands up and down her silk-clad body. "So, it would seem you've become quite the master at explaining things over the years, in rather a unique manner, my Love."

She ran her hands up his neck and into his long hair with an innocent giggle. "Whatever do you mean, Darling?"

Nuzzling her face with his, he narrowed his black eyes and rolled over top of her, pinning her between the white satin sheets and himself. "Oh, you know exactly… explaining sex to house-elves, telling our children how babies are made… in such a unique way that I believe maybe you might need a _proper_ lesson in those areas."

Caterina's hands trailed down his bare back to the waistband of his boxers which she proceeded to tug down as he raised his hips. "Yes, I believe I _do_ need a lesson, a very _thorough_ lesson…probably a very detailed and step-by-step lesson…."

Needing no further encouragement, Severus rested on his elbows, letting out a low growl and as his large hands reached out to cup her full breasts through the silk, the bothersome fabric vanished away.

The next morning came all too early as Severus barely had time to respond to the ward alerting him to the twins leaving their room. He just had time to whip the blankets up over his and Caterina's naked bodies when they burst through the door and pounced on the bed. He allowed them a few minutes to cuddle before ordering them back to their room so everyone could properly dress before any excursions outside. Knowing they wouldn't be able to contain themselves for long, Severus disappeared while Caterina got them settled for breakfast. He wasn't gone long, and from the kitchen window, Caterina could plainly see two gray boxes now tucked under the bench full of empty bottles.

Sophie and Sebastian were positively dripping with excitement once they'd eaten, though they had only done so with many proddings from Mummy and Daddy. They eagerly climbed into their Daddy's arms and he carried them out into the garden with Caterina close at his side.

Severus knelt down to gently place them both on the ground but he spoke very firmly before releasing them from his hold. "I know you're both extremely excited but you need to be very gentle and calm when it comes to babies. You don't want to scare them."

They both nodded and tried their very best at being calm as they half ran, half toddled to the bench, under which two plain gray boxes resided. Each had a tag and the twins lost no time in recognizing whose name was on each.

"Remember, _be_ gentle." Severus called after them, pulling Caterina into his arms as they stood together watching the twins.

Once the boxes where opened, the twins stood silent and in complete awe over what they found. Slowly they both bent over and each the pulled out a fluffy sleeping kitten, all their own. Sebastian held a solid black one as Sophie cuddled a black and silver tabby in her chubby hands.

"Oh Severus… how darling! Where on earth did you get them?" Caterina whispered up at him.

"I've been meaning to tell you. Hagrid sent me an owl a few weeks back. Seems Widget found herself a love interest at Hogwarts."

Caterina gasped. "Widget? But she's too old for kittens, isn't she?"

"For a normal cat maybe, but for a part kneazle, she's still rather young I suppose," Severus explained with a slight twinkle in his black eyes.

For the rest of the week, the twins could hardly be separated from their new furry babies. Even Stella was mesmerized by them. Caterina set a fast rule that while kittens might be allowed in the cottage, they were _not_ allowed to sleep in their beds with them. They went shopping for two little plush kitty beds and came back home with a variety of toys, treats and goodies for the two fluffy kittens. Then it took a whole two weeks for both Sebastian and Sophie to finally settle on names as they sometimes changed heir minds by the hour. Sebastian ended up calling his Fuddles and Sophie went with Fritz and they proudly showed them off to everyone who stopped in, telling them all about how babies were '_pwoperly'_ made with lots of different items that could be collected in colorful bottles.

* * *

Just before Christmas, Severus surprised Caterina by whisking her away for her birthday, to spend a few days secluded in a cozy château in the Swiss Alps. As they lay cuddled by the fire, Caterina couldn't help but wonder if there was a particular reason for Severus' choice. Tracing her fingers up and down his arm, she felt it was all a bit grander than his usual tastes.

"It's so peaceful and relaxing here… such a gorgeous view of all the sparkling snow-covered mountains. Have you always wanted to visit here?" Caterina inquired lightly, stretching her arm up to run her fingers through his raven hair.

"Mmm…," sighed Severus, losing himself in her sensual and relaxing touches. "Can't a husband simply surprise his beautiful wife without there being any ulterior motive?"

She chuckled and kissed the tip of his prominent nose. "You certainly may do such, but I happen to know _you, _Darling. There is always so much more than meets the eye."

"That is quite true," remarked Severus. "And I also know _you_, my sweet Caterina."

"Meaning what exactly?"

"Meaning I know what's going on in your lovely head, many times without the added advantage of magic," Severus answered ruefully.

Looking anything other than amused, Caterina narrowed her eyes, and raised an eyebrow. "I certainly hope you are not insinuating that my head is full of fluff. That I'm nothing but a _fluff-headed _girl?"

Severus was taken aback and shocked. "Why… _Never_! I have not thought of that term in years. And I would never _dare_ apply it to you, my Sweet. I've quite wised up over the years - "

With the gentle kiss, she stopped his words. "I was only teasing, Love. Don't get your wand in a knot."

Severus turned her in his lap to face him and seriously staring into her brilliant turquoise eyes, he paused for a moment. "I can see it, in your eyes. There's a longing that I have yet to fulfill."

"Severus - " Caterina started in stern objection, but his masterful fingers silenced her lips.

"Hear me out. I know what you desire, though you have yet to say anything on the matter - you want another baby." A slow smile spread across his lips. "Every time you hold little Matthew, I can clearly read it upon your face."

Caterina took a deep breath, amazed as always over her husband's astute perception. "At first, I thought it would go away after a few weeks, but well, it hasn't. And every time I hold our darling Sophie and Sebastian, I can't help but realize they're growing up _so_ fast. Before I know it, they want to do anything but snuggle in mummy's lap."

With the gentle pass of his thumb, Severus wiped a glistening tear from her cheek. Then he tightened his hold on her and inhaled her soft hypnotic scent that he had for so long loved.

"So, let's… have another," he said in a deep whisper, full of meaning.

"You really mean that?" Caterina gasped.

Severus nodded affirmatively. "Absolutely and I was assuming…," he paused to raise a suggestive eyebrow, "you may want to get started… immediately."

Feeling his warm hand straying up the inside of her sweater, Caterina flashed him a sexy smile as she pressed herself to him. "Yes, please."

Bringing his lips to hers, ready to devour his wife, Severus growled in great irritation as her firm hand suddenly stopped him. "There is just one thing, Darling."

"What's that?"

"Can we try for only one this time?"

Inhaling deeply, Severus shook his head with a devilish grin. "Hmm… I'll see what I can do."

Caterina laughed, finally allowing him to completely claim her lips.

* * *

They decided to wait awhile before ever discussing the idea of a baby brother or sister with the twins. When the time came, it was during dinner one evening in March. Severus and Caterina gently brought up the topic, and of course, Sophie and Sebastian were soon exploding with endless questions.

"A baby?" shrieked Sophie while attempting to stand in her chair and clap her hands. "Just for _us_?"

"Yes sweetheart, for all of us. Now sit down before you fall," coaxed Caterina.

"One ta keep?" asked Sebastian, his mouth full of chicken. "Won't leave 'ike Mat-phew always does?"

With a charming chuckle, Caterina smiled down at her little dark-haired son. "No dear, we would definitely be keeping this baby. We can't keep Matthew, he doesn't belong to us. And manners, Sebastian darling, we don't talk with food in our mouth."

Intensely curious, Sophie's deep blue eyes grew wide as she glanced back and forth between her parents. "Where's the baby gonna come from? Out of Mummy? Or out of Daddy?"

Lifting his wine glass, Severus looked over at his wife with great adoration. "Mummy is strictly in charge of that. She's - "

But he didn't get to finish, as Sebastian chimed in. "Ohhh! How's you make a baby? Like makin' potions and usin' magic? And can we help, Daddy?"

Severus nearly choked on his wine over Sebastian's questions. "Absolutely not! Now eat your chicken."

Grinning ear to ear, Sebastian reached out to pat his father's hand. "Alls gone, in my belly, daddy."

Caterina grinned at her little ones. "It's a very special kind of magic that happens between two people who love each other more than anything. Someday, you'll learn about it but when you're both older."

"Much, much older, like at the age of eighty or ninety," Severus added under his breath as Caterina gave him a playful nudge with her foot.

Letting out another shriek, Sophie once again stood in her chair, shouting for all to hear. "It's gonna be in your belly, like Aunty Swoan! Right? Is that where yous gonna puts the baby?"

"Yes, Sophie. I'll carry the baby in my belly while he or she grows, and when ready, he or she will come out to meet us all," Caterina explained while settling her daughter back into her chair. "No more standing in your chair, little one."

Sebastian appeared lost in thought for a moment before expressing his newest thoughts on the matter. "Is the baby gonna have special wee wee equipment like me and Daddy?"

Gazing at her husband, Caterina quickly picked up her napkin to hide her laughter. His expression was priceless and she shot him a look that clearly said the question was all his to handle.

Briefly, he closed his dark eyes and through gritted teeth, he answered, "I suggest you focus on eating your broccoli… especially if you want a scoop of ice cream for dessert?"

"Ice creams!" hollered a delighted Sophie. "We only get ice creams on weekends. Is it weekends already?"

Clapping his chubby fingers, Sebastian laughed and then turned to his Daddy. "I's already eats my broccoli. It's my favorite, you know that, Daddy."

"Very well, ice cream it is then," said Severus, purposefully ignoring Caterina's reminder that it was only Tuesday.

As the twins enjoyed their sweet treat, Caterina slipped into Severus' lap and wrapped her arms around him. "I know you believe you successfully side-tracked them, but trust me, this is only the beginning of their endless questions."

Shaking his head, Severus let out an exasperated sigh. "When did they get to be so smart and inquisitive? I'm sure they'll forget soon enough and get distracted by another topic though."

Caterina shook her head, giving him a knowing smile. "No, Darling, they won't. Especially not when they'll soon see the growing evidence."

"_Evidence_? What do you mean?" Severus asked, his brow furrowed in puzzlement.

Taking his hand in hers, Caterina gently laid it to rest against her flat stomach. "_This_ evidence."

"You mean…?" Severus voice trailed off, his question unfinished.

"That you were successful in your _manly_ endeavors, once again?" Caterina chuckled and kissed his cheek. "Yes, or at least, I'm fairly positive. Perhaps you may want to verify it, if you remember the spell?"

Taking her beautiful face in his hands, Severus stared into her twinkling eyes as a deeply self-satisfied smile stretched across his face. "That's one spell I can assure you, I'll never forget."

* * *

Slipping a supportive arm around his exhausted wife, Severus gently urged her back against the bed pillows. "You were simply… brilliant, my Love."

Caterina offered him a heartfelt but tired smile. "It seemed much easier with only one, though I'm just as tired as if it were two."

The tiny baby she held in her arms let out a soft gurgling sound as Severus placed a lingering kiss upon his wife's forehead and on his newborn daughter. "One or two, what you did is still nothing short of amazing."

Closely watching her sweet babe for several minutes, she sighed contentedly. "I think she's going to be very different from the twins."

"How so?" asked Severus, his voice not quite masking an edge of panic. "Is something wrong?"

"No. Not at all. She's just going to have her own unique personality. I think she might be more like you, reserved and guarded with a deeply serious side. The twins are so active and outgoing."

Tenderly, Severus ran his large finger atop of the tiny hand that peeked out of the blanket's edge. "Speaking of, are you ready for Sophie and Sebastian to come in?"

"Absolutely. I know they're bursting with excitement and they've been complete angels the past few weeks."

The twins were in awe the moment they entered the room. Holding hands, they stood silently observing their mummy and new baby in all wide-eyed curiousness, both quite anxious over the new arrival.

"My little darling lovebugs, you may come closer. Come over here and meet your new sister, Ophelia Grace," Caterina softly coaxed while patting the side of the bed.

* * *

**~Ten and a Half Years Later~**

The ballerina finished her graceful performance and exited the stage to thunderous applause. Severus stood waiting in the wings, arms sternly crossed against his chest but his curled lip holding nothing other than fatherly pride. His little dancer twirled the entire distance to him before she elegantly leapt into his arms.

"Daddy! Did you see? No mistakes! I wasn't even that scared of all the people," she gushed out in a shaky voice.

"I knew you could do it, Ophelia. You have the style, poise and grace that could only come from your mum, making you a natural," complemented Severus.

The young girl laughed and tightly hugged her father. "Mommy says I'm better than she ever was but I don't think I'll ever be as graceful. I'm getting keep trying, that's for sure."

Standing her back on her own feet, Severus patted her dark curly head. "And for that, I'm especially proud of you. But no matter what, I want you to always remember how special and wonderful you are."

She gazed up at him, a question hanging around her dark chocolate eyes. "Even if - if I'm not… not magical?"

Placing his hands firmly upon his daughter shoulders, Severus spoke with deep conviction. "I want to listen very carefully to me. It has _never_ once bothered me that you or your mother are not magical. You both have a very different magic that greatly affects the lives of those around you. You're not magical with the wand, but rather, it's all in here," he paused, placing a hand over her heart. "Don't ever question that unique ability. It's a most ancient magic, of a completely different kind and it can take many a lifetime to figure that out. I just happen to get very lucky."

Ophelia studied him with a most serious expression etched across her young face. "You really mean that, Daddy?"

"Always." Severus kissed her forehead. "Now let's go find the others, I'm sure they're all waiting for us in the reception hall."

They soon joined up with the rest of the family and friends. Ophelia was quickly yanked into a loving and tearful hug by her mother. "Oh sweetheart, you danced like an angel, an absolute sublime angel! I'm so proud of you!"

Caterina continued to enfold her daughter in a the secure hug as the rest of the family congratulated her on her outstanding performance. Severus took careful notice of his wife, and as the twins pulled their little sister away, he took his wife aside, leading her out to an empty hallway. There he stood silently for a long moment, studying her flawless figure in her long purple gown. After all these years, her beauty still took his breath away, and at times, he marveled over how lucky he was. Touching her soft cheek, her joyous but tearful expression caused him a bit of concern.

"What's wrong, love?" He gently brushed her tears away while resting his sturdy hands on her bare shoulders and caressing small circles with his fingertips.

"Nothing really," she choked out while attempting to force a brave smile. "This whole event tonight, it got me thinking. I was just reminiscing… about your first time attending the annual charity ball with Dumbledore, all those years ago when I was the one performing. So much has happened and changed since then." Caterina sniffed and took the offered handkerchief that Severus quickly magicked for her.

"Most all of it has been for the good, especially in that we both acquired a much larger an extended family. Granny Nerva as the children still so affectionately call her, along with Jamison and Sloan and their four little ones." Caterina raised her hands and splayed them across Severus's chest. "But most importantly, _you_. Where would I be without you? You and our sweet babies?"

Tears ran unbidden down her face as she hugged herself Severus. "I love you, Severus, more than ever."

Pressing his lips down upon her chestnut curls, he whispered, "And I love you, my precious Caterina."

Severus held her close, trailing his fingers along her smooth back as she slowly calmed. "I'm sorry, I suppose I'm just being overly sentimental tonight… but my babies are really growing up. How did that happen? And when? Seems like only yesterday the twins were toddling around in the garden, pretending to make potions like their daddy, and Ophelia attempting to plié and arabesque before she could even walk. Now in a few weeks, the twins will be starting their fourth year at Hogwarts as our little Ophelia goes off to start the Royal Ballet Academy. What are we going to do?"

There was a strong, mischievous twinkle in Severus' black eyes as he answered her. "_Each other_."

It didn't take her but half a second to catch his hidden meaning and she laughed. "Severus Snape!" Caterina said reprovingly in a teasing tone.

"I'm being completely serious," he replied with an eyebrow arched in his trademark expression. "After all, it's been years since we've been able to properly check out the couch springs at a moment's notice or make good use of the kitchen floor uninterrupted. My mind is quickly conjuring a long list of places."

Caterina took a deep breath, tingling shivers running up and down her spine at his deep velvety baritone voice. "Mmm… that does sound utterly tempting."

"Not as tempting as this seductive little number you're wearing." Severus ran a finger down between her breasts and growled. "It's calling out to me and begging me to steal you away from here this very instant. Maybe to a dark secluded corner or hidden room where I can have my wicked way with my beautiful wife. Everyone is more interested in our children anyway, no one will ever notice that we've slipped away…."

"Sounds… like… an engaging plan," murmured Caterina, her soft lips pressing into his.

Just then, there came a loud snickering from an open doorway down the hall. "After all these years… just get a room already, why don't you?" boomed of the resonating voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"I had the exact same thought." Looking at Caterina with shining eyes, Severus held an extremely smug grin as he loudly replied, "I'll wager the Minister's office is available."

"Oh you two…." Kingsley snorted and waved his hand at them as he walked away chuckling.

Laughing seductively, Caterina snuggled against Severus as she pushed up on her toes to whisper into her husband's ear. "I think we should _definitely_ add the Minister's office to that list of yours._"_

* * *

**Author's Note: And there you have it! I never meant to leave the story hanging for so long without the epilogue I guess I can't hold onto it forever! *wipes tears* I certainly hoped you enjoyed reading through _A Place for My Heart_ and the future that opened up for Severus and Caterina. It's just one silly gal's attempt to give our beloved Severus all the love and happiness he deserved.**

** I've been asked several times about a sequel ~ I have no sequel planned, though ****there may be a random one-shot or two, containing a few extra story bits. ;) There is of course the frivolous one-shot with Severus and Caterina that is already posted: _Cookies, Followed with a Side of Lemonade_.**

**Now a huge and hearty thanks to all my readers and reviewers, for without you this story might never have been finished. I began this as a fun and creative diversion but it quickly took on a life of its very own! You are the most amazing and encouraging bunch of faithful Severus Snape lovers that can be found, the world over! ****Many thanks to those of you who favorited the story and put it on alert. ****And I certainly can't forget my ever patient and vigilant betas who helped over the course of the story ~ thank you for dealing with my simple tinkerings. **

**May you all meet Severus Snape in your dreams. ;)**

**~Wendy Waddles**


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